PR i W23s /A ^ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THK SEAMAN'S REST; WKITTEN ON THE OCCASION OF MI Fa MIJIESIT'T'S RECENT VISIT TO GEEENWICH HOSPITAL, BY CHARLES B. WARIN. PRINTED BY GEO. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE. ?n HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT THIS POEM IS BY PERMISSION, HUMBLY DEDICATED. And that every Messing which an All-heneficent hand can bestow, may light upon that noble Heart which to one unfriended and unknoivn, has graciously extended the fostering sanction of his Royal name, is the earnest prayer Of His Royal Highness's Humble and grateful Servanty CHARLES BENOIT WARIN. 7, Bclvidcre, Cambriclf?*> Koaf), Aug. 1, 1**10. SOS THE SEAliiAN'S REST. The people all eagerly throng the ways, And their anxious faces tell Of joy expected — impatience to gaze On a sight that shall please them well. And oh ! 'tis to greet not their eyes alone That they come; for all hearts beat high, WTien the Pride and the Grace of England's throne And her noble Prince pass by. To what gentle hands of a mighty Realm Has Heaven confided the fate ! Great, great is her task — ^but to guide the helm She came with a soul as great. Fair Sovereign, the joy of thy presence bring — Come, come, for along thy way More closely, more warmly around Thee cling The hearts of thy people each day 1 Who dwells in yon palace of stately pride, At whose basement sweeps along Old Thames, with his broad and ample tide, And majestic vessels throng ? A beautiful scene, with its hills so soft, O'ertopping the peaceful dome ; With its elm and pine wide-waving aloft — A scene for a Monarch's home. But splendors which o'er a Court are shed Seek not in those sacred halls ; There Albion nobly shelters the head Grown grey in her wooden walls. There proudly shields, in the close of life, An aged and war-worn band, Whose youth and whose might, thro' years of strife, Triumphantly guarded our land. As the veteran spirit breaks amain, She bends o'er each honor'd son, And soothes and comforts the old man's pain, Till his last, last course is run. Though years, in their withering flight, have tamed This once bold resolute crew, The heart-buried visions of scenes far-famed In spite of the calm break through. Decay, though it sap the hardiest frame, Controls not the hallowed thrill Of proud devotion to England's fame, Which burns in their bosoms still. Could those limbs, that falter unstrung by time, Their once tough sinews regain, Refitted for battle, and storm, and clime. The old hearts would be ready again. Full many a moment, a spot, a deed. Has printed its time-proof spell In bosoms, the force of whose throbs 'twould need A Falconer's tongue to tell. 8 Can they, who have witness'd, forget the hour Wlien parted a gallant fleet From England's shores, in its pride and pow'r, The foes of our land to meet ? Such feelings as wake on a festive day Might a scene so stirring impart. Had the errand that ai'ms the proud array No darker side for the heart. The eye on its bravery dwells elate, But the thoughts are busy afar, With dangers, that lurk in the womb of Fate, For the bold, the generous Tar. What bosoms are heaving — what eyes are wet — To gaze on the gallant train ! What hearts, what hands, what lips have met, That never may meet again ! Still glows that ardor that needed a curb, When, nearing the foe on the brine, The pride of old England bore down superb, And dashed through his blazing line. They have braved the clashing of hostile bands, And have nobly borne a part When the sword was flashing in vaUant hands, And glory was rife at the heart ! They have stood in the conflict's w'ildest glow, With breasts to its terrors steel'd ; Alert to the guns, the ship, the foe, Or a hard-press'd friend to shield. They have seen the picture that meets the eye When it glances, keen and calm. To seek, 'midst the havoc, w^here victory Predestines her fearful palm. They have trod the deck, where Rodney, where Hood, ^^^lere Duncan has led them on! — Where Howe, where St. Vincent, where Collingwood, Where immoi-tal Nelson shone ! Can their ears forget the electric word. That passed through the hard-fought fray ? From the Captain's lips 'twas no sooner heard Than it sealed the fate of the day. 10 And oh ! with what joy did their hearts expand- With what pride did their bosoms glow — When they hailed the port of their native land, With the glorious prize in tow ! The bells were ringing, and joyous crowds From the beach loud welcome bore ; And hats were waved from the teeming shrouds, To kerchiefs that waved on shore. The scenes of a sailor's life are laid In features too strong, too bold, That the thoughts and feelings they move should fade Ere the heart itself grows cold. Too loud is the tempest's howling breath — Too wild is the billow's rage — Too awfully threatening danger and death, To fade from memory's page. And fervid images chng to his breast, And wonders live in his soul, Whose varied beauty links East and West, Is scattered from Pole to Pole. 11 To him, in its fulness, all Heaven on high, To him doth all earth confess The work of Eternal Majesty, In its infinite loveliness ! He ranges the globe, and from shore to shore New charms on his path are thrown ; The wealth of all Nature's exhaustless store Is opened to him alone. Now teeming with joy, all riches and smiles, Luxuriant, genial, fair ; Now mute in the waste, or frowning in piles Of rock, dark, desolate, bare ! Soft isles, to the breath of the passing air. Their fragrant perfume diffuse. While to brighter suns, and to skies more fair, Spring flow'rs of more dazzling hues. And now 'tis the ripe exuberant fruit Invites with a richer bloom ; Here excels in beauty of form the brute, Or bird with its painted plume. 12 But of all the marvels — of all the sheen That have struck the sailor's eye, 'Tis the Ocean's self is the grandest scene That is spread beneath the sky Impressive, sublime is the wide blue Ocean I What else that the world contains In grandeur, immensity, pow'r of emotion, Can vie with its liquid plains ? Till death shall at last break up life's barque, Remembered and cherished shall be The toils, the perils, the glories that mark The paths of the wondrous Sea. 'Tis Heaven that gilds with a brighter glow The scenes of a younger day, Whose light is reflected, in age, to throw A charm o'er its wintry way ! Perchance, on the pillow of sickness, here, In the soothing hour of sleep Soft visions, of days that are gone, appear Renewed on the mighty deep ! 13 Hale morn — \vith its burst of unbroken gold, Through the wave transparent glows ; The waters, high-crested %\ith flame, are roll'd, By the magic of sweet repose. And with snowy sails to the sun unfurled The Ship, like a giant swan, Seems borne, amid scenes of a loveher world, In sUence and glory on ! For the Seaman's rest how apt is this spot, Where the noblest of England's streams Glides, rich with that Commerce 'twas once his lot To shield to the world's extremes. May the laurels won, in contention dread, By his daring and fortitude. Long shelter the mariner's aged head. With a Nation's gratitude ! But hark ! 'tis their voices — the same — whose cheers, In many an arduous feat. Were heralds of Glory to British ears : — So still-:— 'tis the Queen they greet. 14r What feelings of duty, of pride, of love, For England, for home have been, Now gathered in one strong impulse, mov« To hail and to bless their Queen ! In rapture they gaze on that form so fair. So gentle, so noble; and feel That the heart of her Royal Sires is there, The Guardian of Britain's weal. With the bloom of health — with a heart serene- Be her sceptre light to her hand ! Long, long may she reign the happy Queen Of a happy and grateful land ! A-iettsfi, 1840. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. L9-32m-8,'58(5876s4)444 THE UBRARY UNIVERSITY OP CALIFORNIif' LOS ANGELES PR Wariiu^ 5724 W2S« SeaiDftn' s Rest RIMDtRV nrj 1 S 1959 UC snUTHFRN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACI AA 000 367 451 2 PR 5724 W23s