Page:The Poetical Works of William Motherwell, 1849.djvu/222

 When, midst the tempest's roar, Pale listeners on the shore Hear the curse and shriek of men, As they sink and rise again On the gurley billow's back, And their strong broad breast-bones crack On the iron-ribbed coast, As back to hell they're toss'd, Oh then, oh then, oh then, We hurry forth again! For amid such lusty cries, Begin our revelries.

When aged parents flee The noble wreck to see, And mark their sons roll in Through foam and thundering din, All mottled black and blue— Their icy lips cut through In the agony of death, While drifting on their path; When gentle maidens stand Upon the wreck-rich strand,