THE ISLAND
A song for England?
Nay, what is a song for England?
Among the gulls' white wings,
The lighthouse beacon swings:
Come in on Suffolk foam—
Moves fast, and calls us home!
On many a Cotswold hill,
The island draws us still:
Where Sussex downs are high,
A bonfire in the sky!
That flings her strength so wide?
Her stubborn wordless pride?
As any land may be,
The salt stress of the sea.
Our lips taste English rain,
Across some deep-sea lane;
And marvellous with worth,
How empty were the earth!