SHIPWRECK.
The south wind softly blew a favoring breeze
As forth they put and stood for Italy:
But that fair mother in her bosom bore
Offspring of storm that hastened to the birth.
For soon the fondling weather changed to fierce,
And, blustering from the north, Euraquilo
Beat down with all his wings upon the sea,
Which under that rough brooding writhed in foam
To whirlpool ready to engulf the ship.
No momentary tempest swift as wild;
But blast of winter wanting never breath
Poured from all quarters of the sky at once
And caught the vessel like a plaything up
Hurling it hither and thither athwart the deep.
The sails were rent and shredded from the masts;
The boat, to be the hope forlorn of life,
Was hardly come by, so the hungry wave
Desired it as a morsel to its maw.
The ship through all her timbers groaned and shrieked
And all her joints seemed melting with the fray
And fracture of the jostling elements.
At their wits' end, those mariners distraught,
Feeling the deck dissolve beneath their feet,
With undergirding helped the anguished ship;
While, worse than waters waiting to devour,
A sea of quicksand seethed, they knew, full nigh.
So the night fell but brought no stay to storm;
Fresh fury rather every darkening hour.
The dismal daylight dawned, and wind and wave,
Gnashing white teeth of foam, all round the ship
Howled like wild beasts defeated of their prey.
Then, as to bait those monster ravening mouths,
They portion of the lading overboard
Fling, in the hope that lightened so the bark
Springing more buoyant may outride the storm.
But the storm thickened as the third day dawned,
And not the crew alone but all on board
Worked the ship's gear in the increasing gale.
They thus bestead, the heavens above them lowered
Day after day that neither sun nor stars
One instant flickered in the firmament;
The blotted blackness made one dreadful night
Of day and night confounded in the gloom.
Hope now went out, last light to leave the sky,
Outburning sun and moon and star all quenched
Before her in that drowning drench of dark—
Hope too went out, touched by the hand of death.
Then Paul stood forth, himself with fasting faint,
Amid those famished faint despairing souls
And upward reaching high his hand to heaven,
There kindled once again the star of hope.
Chiding them fairly that they did not heed
His warning word betimes to shun that harm,
He gave them cheer that they should yet escape,
All should escape with life from this assay;
Only the ship must suffer wreck and loss.
"The angel of the Lord, that Lord," said Paul,
"Whose with all joy I am and whom I serve,
As ye have seen, with worship night and day,
Stood by me in the night and said to me:
'Fear thou not, Paul; thou art to stand in Rome
Before the bar of Cæsar; lo, thy God
Hath to thee given all those that sail with thee.'
Be of good cheer then, ye; for I believe
God that He will perform His word to me.
Upon an island look to find us cast."
Full fourteen days the ship went staggering on
A helpless hulk amid the Adrian sea,
When now the sailors, deeming that they neared
Some coast-line, sounded in the midnight dark;
Then farther drifting sounded once again
To find themselves indeed upon the shoals.
Here, fearing to be driven upon rocks,
They anchored, and so waiting wished for day.
And now a dastard thing those sailors schemed:
Under pretext to cast one anchor more,
As to that purpose they let down the boat,
Minded therein to steal their own escape
Leaving the rest to perish with the ship.
But Paul perceived their fraud and subtlety
And said to Julius with his soldiery;
"Let those men go and ye cannot be saved;"
Whereon the soldiers cut the lowering ropes,
Sending the boat to surf and reef a prey.
As broke the fourteenth morning yet forlorn,
Paul, unconfessed the captain of the ship
And master of his fellow voyagers,
In the dim twilight of the struggling dawn
Stood on the slippery deck amidst them all
And stoutly cheered them to take heart of hope
Break their long fast and brace themselves with food.
"For not a hair shall fall from off the head
Of any one of you," said he, and took
Therewith himself, in act more eloquent
Than spoken word, bread and gave thanks to God
In presence of them all; then breaking it
Forthwith began to eat; this heartened them
That they likewise strengthened themselves with meat.
Thus comforted, once more the laboring ship
They lighten of her lading and the wheat
Sow in the barren brine.