POE TRY.
BROKE!
Now I remember days gone by That never again shall be, When I trod the bridge of a battleship And held her might in fee.
Now I remember the gathered fleets, And the craftsman's pride I knew When the great ship circled and turned again As the far flags bade her do ;
When the great gaunt bows swung dripping round As my word let her go,
And my finger checked ten thousand horse At a touch, from fast to slow.
My mates must work the ringing guns, My mates must police the sea : From North Cape south to Sydney-side There's never a place for me.
So I must forget the hopes I had, And the dreams I dreamt of yore, Of the reeling swing of a deep-sea fight Where the long black sea-guns roar : For this is the law without excuse For all the Lords of the Sea, That each must hold his ship from harm Whatever the odds may be; And sin and error are all as one, No pardon may he gain For any struggle of warring needs Or stress of body and brain: For the Deep-Sea Empire has its price, It is bought by blood and flame, By the risk of the guns and the risk of the sea And the risk of ruin and shame.
I may not hope to give my life, But a higher price I pay, The skill and toil of twenty years For the fault of half a day.
J. H. KNIGHT-ADIUN.
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