Beyond the sea maid's unkempt hair,
Lay forests rich and jewels rare,
Undreamt by kings of fame and power,
"For the shore," shouts Leif, "spite storm and shower."
Vinland for the Norseman brave,
honor he to his country gave,
Born with thee, an unknown strand,
America, sweet freedom's land.
From "An Ode to the Land of the Vikings."—Stine.
The author does not aim to lift the Scandinavians into an air of ungained merit, he does not aim to clothe them with undeserved encomium, but seeks to paint their dues in a straightforward way, thoughtless of sailing the sea of hyperbole, or entering any strait of unearned exploit.