Across the whole ocean,

To stick to the notion

That in some nook or bend

Of a sea without end

He should find North and South America,

Was a pure madness, indeed I must say, to me.

What if wise men had, as far back as Ptolemy,

Judged that the earth like an orange was round,

None of them ever said, Come along, follow me,

Sail to the West, and the East will be found.