"But hark! what shriek of death comes in the gale, And in the distant ray what glimmering sail Bends to the storm?—Now sinks the note of fear! Ah? wretched mariners!—no more shall day Unclose his cheering eye to light ye on your way!"

"Through the black night and driving rain A ship is struggling, all in vain, To live upon the stormy main;— Miserere Domine!"

"Naufragium sibi quisque facit."

"A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigged, Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats Instinctively have quit it."

"O, I have suffer'd With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her, Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock Against my very heart! Poor souls, they perished."

"And fast through the midnight dark and drear, Through the whistling sleet and snow, Like a sheeted ghost, the vessel swept Towards the reef of Norman's Woe."

"Again she plunges! hark! a second shock Bilges the splitting vessel on the rock; Down on the vale of death, with dismal cries, The fated victims shuddering cast their eyes In wild despair; while yet another stroke With strong convulsion rends the solid oak: Ah Heaven!—behold her crashing ribs divide! She loosens, parts, and spreads in ruin o'er the tide."

"Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell— Then shriek'd the timid, and stood still the brave,— Then some leap'd overboard with fearful yell, As eager to anticipate their grave."

"Some hoisted out the boats, and there was one That begged Pedrillo for an absolution, Who told him to be damn'd,—in his confusion."

"It was a touching answer of a Christian sailor, when asked why he remained so calm in a fearful storm, when the sea seemed ready to devour the ship. He was not sure that he could swim. "But," he said, "though I sink I shall only drop into the hollow of my Father's hand; for He holds all these waters there.""

"It is of great importance that the laws by which the contracts of so numerous and so useful a body of men as the sailors are supposed to be guided, should not be overturned."

"I am sorry to see a decreasing tendency to aid vessels that are broken down."

"The impulsive desire to save human life when in peril is one of the most beneficial instincts of humanity, and is nowhere more salutary in its results than in bringing help to those who, exposed to destruction from the fury of winds and waves, would perish if left without assistance."

"A salvage service which hardly exceeds ordinary towage is naturally remunerated on a very different scale from an heroic rescue from imminent destruction."

"One ship drives East, and one drives West, By the selfsame wind that blows; It's the set of the sails, and not the gales, Which determines the way it goes."

"If all the ships I have at sea Should come a-sailing home to me, Ah, well! the harbor would not hold So many ships as there would be If all my ships came home from sea."

"Speed on the ship;—But let her bear No merchandise of sin, No groaning cargo of despair Her roomy hold within; No Lethean drug for Eastern lands, Nor poison-draught for ours; But honest fruits of toiling hands And Nature's sun and showers."

"Whoever you are, motion and reflection are especially for you, The divine ship sails the divine sea for you."

"And the stately ships go on To their haven under the hill."

"It would have been as though he [Pres. Johnson] were in a boat of stone with masts of steel, sails of lead, ropes of iron, the devil at the helm, the wrath of God for a breeze, and hell for his destination."

"She comes majestic with her swelling sails, The gallant Ship: along her watery way, Homeward she drives before the favouring gales; Now flirting at their length the streamers play, And now they ripple with the ruffling breeze."

"And let our barks across the pathless flood Hold different courses."

"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters."

"Because it costs so much to keep one in paint and powder."

"Her plates are scarred by the sun, dear lass, And her ropes are taut with the dew, For we're booming down on the old trail, our own trail, the out trail. We're sagging south on the Long Trail, the trail that is always new."

"The Liner she's a lady, an' she never looks nor 'eeds— The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband an' 'e gives 'er all she needs; But, oh, the little cargo-boats, that sail the wet seas roun', They're just the same as you an' me, a'-plyin' up an' down."

"Lord, Thou hast made this world below the shadow of a dream. An', taught by time, I tak' it so—exceptin' always steam. From coupler-flange to spindle-guide I see thy Hand, O God— Predestination in the stride o' yon connectin'-rod."

"Morn on the waters, and purple and bright Bursts on the billows the flushing of light. O'er the glad waves, like a child of the sun, See the tall vessel goes gallantly on."

"Ships that sailed for sunny isles, But never came to shore."

"The wooden wall alone should remain unconquered."

"For she is such a smart little craft, Such a neat little, sweet little craft— Such a bright little, Tight little, Slight little, Light little, Trim little, slim little craft!"

"The true ship is the ship builder."

"A strong nor'wester's blowing, Bill; Hark! don't ye hear it roar now? Lord help 'em, how I pities them Unhappy folks on shore, now."

"Ships, dim discover'd, dropping from the clouds."

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."

"The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes."

"Like ships that have gone down at sea, When heaven was all tranquillity."

"There's not a ship that sails the ocean, But every climate, every soil, Must bring its tribute, great or small, And help to build the wooden wall!"

"Build me straight, O worthy Master! Staunch and strong, a goodly vessel That shall laugh at all disaster, And with wave and whirlwind wrestle!"

"And the wind plays on those great sonorous harps, the shrouds and masts of ships."

"Yet when all these reservations are made, there is no doubt that the development of the long-range armed sailing ship heralded a fundamental advance of Europe's place in the world. With these vessels, the naval powers of the West were in a position to control the oceanic trade routes and to overawe all societies vulnerable to the workings of sea power."

"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."

"A navy is essentially and necessarily aristocratic. True as may be the political principles for which we are now contending they can never be practically applied or even admitted on board ship, out of port, or off soundings. This may seem a hardship, but it is nevertheless the simplest of truths. Whilst the ships sent forth by the Congress may and must fight for the principles of human rights and republican freedom, the ships themselves must be ruled and commanded at sea under a system of absolute despotism."

"Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."

"It is cheering to see that the rats are still around—the ship is not sinking."

"A great ship asks deep waters."