Better Gutenberg
Free, beautifully formatted public-domain ebooks
‹Better GutenbergNew Poems and Variant ReadingsThe Wind Blew Shrill and Smart · 51 of 129Contents›

New Poems and Variant Readings

by Robert Louis Stevenson

51 of 129 · Contents · Download EPUB

The Wind Blew Shrill and Smart

The wind blew shrill and smart,
      And the wind awoke my heart
Again to go a-sailing o’er the sea,
      To hear the cordage moan
      And the straining timbers groan,
And to see the flying pennon lie a-lee.

O sailor of the fleet,
      It is time to stir the feet!
It’s time to man the dingy and to row!
      It’s lay your hand in mine
      And it’s empty down the wine,
And it’s drain a health to death before we go!

To death, my lads, we sail;
      And it’s death that blows the gale
And death that holds the tiller as we ride.
      For he’s the king of all
      In the tempest and the squall,
And the ruler of the Ocean wild and wide!

← Back to New Poems and Variant Readings

Scroll to Top