Far-off and veiled it seems to me...

Far-off and veiled it seems to me,

The face of yester dreamy sea,

That breathed so soft its shining waters

Pungent with odors of rosemary.

No sculptured arabesque to-day,

But unhewn strength in mighty play,

That heaves the ship on bursting billow

And smites the cliff in its ancient way!

Beneath its silken vestments beat

A lion heart of jungle heat;

Its couchant soul delights in battle

To fell the rock and to whelm the fleet.