He watches the great ships swinging
Like birds on the tide's vast flow,
And out of the past swift winging
Come visions that grip and glow—
Fierce fights of forgotten rover,
Adventurous deeds and bold
Of ancestors who sailed over
Grim seas with some Viking old;
And stirred by an old, old longing,
An urge that dead ages fling,
He thrills to memories thronging
Of some long gone old sea king,
And dreams with a deep emotion
Of wonderful days to be
When he sails over the ocean
A thrall to its mystery.
