John Bannister Tabb

1845-1909 / the United States

The Arctic

Is it a shroud or bridal veil
That hides it from our sight,
The lonely sepulchre of Day,
Or banquet-hall of Night?
Are those the lights of revelry
That glimmer o'er the deep,
Or flashes of a funeral pyre
Above the corpse of Sleep?
Beyond those peaks impregnable
Of everlasting snow,
One star-a steadfast beacon-burns
To guard the coast below.
Whence come the ghostly galleons
The pirate Sun to brave,
And furl the shadowy flag of Death
Above a warmer grave?
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