Behind him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: “Now must we pray,
For lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?”
“Why, say, ?Sail on! sail on! and on!'”
“My men grow mutinous day by day;
My men grow ghastly wan and weak.”
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
“What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,
If we sight naught but seas at dawn?”
“Why, you shall say at break of day,
?Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'”
They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
Until at last the blanched mate said:
“Why, now not even God would know
Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
For God from these dread seas is gone.
Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say”-
He said: “Sail on! sail on! and on!”
They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
“This mad sea shows his teeth to-night.
He curls his lip, he lies in wait,
With lifted teeth, as if to bite!
Brave Admiral, say but one good word:
What shall we do when hope is gone?”
The words leapt like a leaping sword:
“Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!”
Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck-
A light! A light! A light! A light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson: “On! sail on!”
Columbus
Joaquin Miller
(9)
Poem topics: dark, home, hope, sea, time, pray, wait, weak, forget, ghost, lesson, thought, sword, break, god, night, world, I love you, I miss you, good, Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about Columbus poem by Joaquin Miller
Tim Lepore: I memorized this poem in 6th grade circa 1986-87. I still know it.
Ava Kim: I did this poem in 4th grade
Ava kim: I did this poem in 4th grade and memorize the whole thing
CJ Jebsen-Ross: I memorized this poem in 10 th grade. Lived in the Azores at the time!
Andrew Dunn: I was there in 1976
Saksham Kandoi: Superb excellent poem on brave Columbus I am proud of Joaquin Miller
Mona Finley: I also learned this poem in grade school. I still remember s lot of it. Thsank you for printing it.
Mary Caruso: Ah, beloved memories. We memorized this poem in grammar school, back when teachers were free to teach, and teach they did.
I read today that Mathematics is now considered racist by the Seattle School Board. Ah, my. Another way to keep people stupid and subservient.
Best Poems of Joaquin Miller