GOLD

We rovers bold,

To the land of Gold,

Over the bowling billows are gliding:

Eager to toil,

For the golden spoil,

And every hardship biding.

See! See!

Before our prows’ resistless dashes

The gold-fish fly in golden flashes!

’Neath a sun of gold,

We rovers bold,

On the golden land are gaining;

And every night,

We steer aright,

By golden stars unwaning!

All fires burn a golden glare:

No locks so bright as golden hair!

All orange groves have golden gushings;

All mornings dawn with golden flushings!

In a shower of gold, say fables old,

A maiden was won by the god of gold!

In golden goblets wine is beaming:

On golden couches kings are dreaming!

The Golden Rule dries many tears!

The Golden Number rules the spheres!

Gold, gold it is, that sways the nations:

Gold! gold! the center of all rotations!

On golden axles worlds are turning:

With phosphorescence seas are burning!

All fire-flies flame with golden gleamings!

Gold-hunters’ hearts with golden dreamings!

With golden arrows kings are slain:

With gold we’ll buy a freeman’s name!

In toilsome trades, for scanty earnings,

At home we’ve slaved, with stifled yearnings:

No light! no hope! Oh, heavy woe!

When nights fled fast, and days dragged slow.

But joyful now, with eager eye,

Fast to the Promised Land we fly:

Where in deep mines,

The treasure shines;

Or down in beds of golden streams,

The gold-flakes glance in golden gleams!

How we long to sift,

That yellow drift!

Rivers! Rivers! cease your goings!

Sand-bars! rise, and stay the tide!

’Till we’ve gained the golden flowing;

And in the golden haven ride!