The "happy isles" of horace

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



Oh, come with me to the Happy Isles
 In the golden haze off yonder,
Where the song of the sun-kissed breeze beguiles,
 And the ocean loves to wander.

Fragrant the vines that mantle those hills,
 Proudly the fig rejoices;
Merrily dance the virgin rills,
 Blending their myriad voices.

Our herds shall fear no evil there,
 But peacefully feed and rest them;
Neither shall serpent nor prowling bear
 Ever come there to molest them.

Neither shall Eurus, wanton bold,
 Nor feverish drouth distress us,
But he that compasseth heat and cold
 Shall temper them both to bless us.

There no vandal foot has trod,
 And the pirate hosts that wander
Shall never profane the sacred sod
 Of those beautiful Isles out yonder.

Never a spell shall blight our vines,
 Nor Sirius blaze above us,
But you and I shall drink our wines
 And sing to the loved that love us.

So come with me where Fortune smiles
 And the gods invite devotion,--
Oh, come with me to the Happy Isles
 In the haze of that far-off ocean!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

53 sec read
40

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abab xaax cdcd efef gbgb hfhf aiAi
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 970
Words 179
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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