SONGS OF RUSSIA
The seagulls lament when a storm is impending,
They flit o’er the waves with a wail in their cry;
They are ready to hide in the depths of the ocean
Their dread of the tempest that threatens on high.
The cargeese and grebes, too, shriek hoarsely in terror,
They mourn and complain when the tempest is near;
They know not the joy of a life-and-death struggle;
The crash of the thunderbolt fills them with fear.
The fat, foolish penguin hides, timid and craven,
In nooks of the cliffs, where it finds a safe home;
Alone the proud storm-finch soars freely and boldly
Above the rough ocean, all hoary with foam.
Still nearer and darker the storm-clouds are lowering
Above the broad ocean; the waves as they beat
Are singing and dancing; they lift themselves upward
As if they were longing the thunder to meet.
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