[Editor: This poem by William Blocksidge (also known as William Baylebridge) was published in Songs o’ the South (1908).]
St. Helena
Thou gem of Moreton, sleeping in the sun
As if contentment filled thy soul within,
And not the wretchedness that branded sin
For baser minds beneath those walls hath won —
To kiss thy golden feet the wavelets run;
For thee, when Phoebus doth his march begin,
What purple shrouds, with many a jewelled pin
Binding their folds, the morning breeze hath spun!
Thy blood-red bosom, filled with comely pride,
Doth stand above fair green-bekirtled maids;
And when the moon her silver beams hath tied
About thy form, such loveliness invades
Its being that thou seemest then a bride,
Wed to the sea in those enchanting shades!
Source:
William Blocksidge, Songs o’ the South, London: Watts, 1908, p. 55
Editor’s notes:
bekirtled = wearing a kirtle, covered by a kirtle (a kirtle is a long dress, gown, or outer petticoat, worn by women, especially in the Middle Ages, but also in later times; or a knee-length tunic or coat, worn by men, especially in the Middle Ages)
doth = (archaic) does
hath = (archaic) has
maid = maiden, young woman, young female (may also refer to a female servant)
Moreton = Moreton Bay (a bay situated on the coast of Queensland, east of Brisbane); can also refer to Moreton Island (an island situated in Moreton Bay)
Phoebus = the sun; a reference to Phoebus (also known as Apollo) who, in Greek mythology, was the god of light (amongst other things) and in literature was often identified with the sun
seemest = (archaic) seem
thee = (archaic) you
thou = (archaic) you
thy = (archaic) your
wavelet = a small wave; a ripple on the water
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