Page:The Works of Lord Byron (ed. Coleridge, Prothero) - Volume 3.djvu/259

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THE CORSAIR.[1]



CANTO THE FIRST.

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"———nessun maggior dolore,
Che ricordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria,———"

Dante, Inferno, v. 121.


I.

"O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea,
Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free,
Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,
Survey our empire, and behold our home![2]
These are our realms, no limits to their sway—
Our flag the sceptre all who meet obey.
Ours the wild life in tumult still to range
From toil to rest, and joy in every change.
Oh, who can tell? not thou, luxurious slave!
Whose soul would sicken o'er the heaving wave; 10
  1. ↑ The time in this poem may seem too short for the occurrences, but the whole of the Ægean isles are within a few hours' sail of the continent, and the reader must be kind enough to take the wind as I have often found it.
  2. ↑ [Compare—

    "Survey the region, and confess her home."

    Windsor Forest, by A. Pope, line 256.]
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