Page:Poems for the Sea.djvu/70

66 Of whose strong culture, speak thy sunless plants? And groves of coral, which no mortal guest Hath visited, and liv'd? What sculptor wrought These monuments of amber, and of pearl, Where sleeps the sea-boy, in a pomp, that earth Denies her buried kings? Who strangely stretch'd A line of sand to curb thy monstrous tide, And writing "Hitherto!"—bade the mad surge Respect the silent mandate? From whose loom Came forth thy drapery, that ne'er waxeth old? No fallen leaf, or withering floweret marks Thy sere decadence of autumnal time. Who hath thy keys, Oh Deep? Who taketh note Of all thy wealth? Who numbereth the host That spread their tent amid thy cells, and sleep Unwaken'd, unreturning? Who doth scan The secret annal, from Creation lock'd In thy dark cabinet? Still, one reply! Each breaking billow speaks that One Dread Name