Lays of Leisure Author:William Allan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: NELLY. THE storm king o'er the North Sea swooped In anger-rushing flight; The wind blew shrill, the dark clouds drooped In terror at his might. Far as ... more »my joyous eyes could reach, The waves tumultuous rolled, And broke their crests on Roker beach With freedom uncontrolled. As war steeds fierce on battle path, They charged, and, white, recoiled Back from the sullen foe that hath Their might for ages foiled. Their deep-voiced music rung afar, Magnificently sweet, Now bursting as a cry of war, Now hissing in defeat. I wandered on the troubled shore, Nor recked the winds nor spray, Delighting in the sullen roar That boomed along the bay; When suddenly I spied a maid Beside the sounding caves, Who stood alone, and unafraid, Communing with the waves. Her hands were clasped, her cheeks were wan, Wild-flowing was her hair ; Her dark eyes moved with restless scan, Her clothes were thin and bare ; She watched the waves with anxious eye, And shivering, slowly sung A weird, strange song, whose melody Seemed from her bosom wrung. " Why art thou here, my errant maid ! This is no place for thee ? I'll guide thee up the cliffs," I said, " I pray now come with me, Dark lours the sky, wild roars the sea, Thou'rt trembling, wet, and cold." She looked and laughed with maniac glee, And this the tale she told :— " They tell me oft his ship was wrecked, The men sleep in the sea, They say the letter I expect Will never come to me. But he will come to me again, To leave his love no more ; I wander now in wind, and rain, To meet him on the shore. The great, grey waves come rolling in With solemn-sounding tone, I hear amid their deafening din His voice, his voice alone ! I hear his voice, it seem...« less