And cried as my children used to cry.
"Nothing but a whimper of the sea-gulls flying,
Endlessly round and round,
With the cruel yellow beaks that were waiting for the faces,
The little floating faces of the drowned."
"It was nothing but a dream," said the Emperor,
"So why should you weep, dear, eh?"—
"Oh, I saw the red letters on a life belt
That the green sea washed my way!"—
"What were they?" said the Emperor. "What were they?"—