The wooing of the southland

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



(ALASKAN BALLAD)

The Northland reared his hoary head
 And spied the Southland leagues away--
"Fairest of all fair brides," he said,
 "Be thou my bride, I pray!"

Whereat the Southland laughed and cried:
 "I'll bide beside my native sea,
And I shall never be thy bride
 Till thou com'st wooing me!"

The Northland's heart was a heart of ice,
 A diamond glacier, mountain high--
Oh, love is sweet at any price,
 As well know you and I!

So gayly the Northland took his heart
 And cast it in the wailing sea--
"Go, thou, with all thy cunning art,
 And woo my bride for me!"

For many a night and for many a day,
 And over the leagues that rolled between,
The true-heart messenger sped away
 To woo the Southland queen.

But the sea wailed loud, and the sea wailed long,
 While ever the Northland cried in glee:
"Oh, thou shalt sing us our bridal song,
 When comes my bride, O sea!"

At the foot of the Southland's golden throne
 The heart of the Northland ever throbs--
For that true-heart speaks in the waves that moan,
 The songs that it sings are sobs.

Ever the Southland spurns the cries
 Of the messenger pleading the Northland's part;
The summer shines in the Southland's eyes--
 The winter bides in her heart!

And ever unto that far-off place
 Which love doth render a hallowed spot,
The Northland turneth his honest face
 And wonders she cometh not.

The sea wails loud, and the sea wails long,
 As the ages of waiting drift slowly by,
But the sea shall sing no bridal song--
 As well know you and I!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:24 min read
66

Quick analysis:

Scheme abab cdcd efeF gdgd bhbh idid jdjx kgkg lmlm ifiF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,466
Words 280
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 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

2 fans

Discuss the poem The wooing of the southland with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The wooing of the southland" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13110/the-wooing-of-the-southland>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    10
    hours
    58
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "O Captain! My Captain!"?
    A Ezra Pound
    B Walt Whitman
    C Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    D Emily Dickinson