In the harbour’s arms the isles, her daughters,
Dream all day in a perfect sleep.
Oh! to hold in my heart those waters,
Flowing east with the sun behind them,
Through great gates to the outer deep!
There are two following verses almost equally good, and it is only in the fourth and last that the inspiration is seen to flag:—
Oh! to sing of this little city
A true strong song that no years can weaken:
A song that tells how the sea-girt city
Cast her light o’er the seas, a beacon