Furrows the calm main
The Tyrian sailor with his oar,
And the ploughman, the green soil
The lowing of the oxen,
And the bird-song sweet and free,
Answer the deep roar
Of the tideless sea.
Under green boughs
The wood-nymph, reclining,
Hears the voice of the sea-nymph,
In love-songs repining.
The breezes from Lebanon,
Laden with perfume,
The tree-tops caress,
And their journey resume;
Fanning the cheek of the rustic,
Weary with labor at midday,
And speeding white sails
As they glide far away.
Nonnus of Panopolis (end 4th - early 5th century) Egypt
Translated by Frederic Rowland Marvin
Source: Flowers of song from many lands; being short poems and detached verses gathered from various languages and rendered into English by Frederic Rowland Marvin, Pafraets Book Company, 1902
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