"O Navis"
By Austin Dobson
SHIP, to the roadstead rolled,
What dost thou?—O, once more
Regain the port. Behold!
Thy sides are bare of oar,
Thy tall mast wounded sore
Of Africus, and see,
What shall thy spars restore!—
Tempt not thy tyrant sea!
What cable now will hold
When all drag out from shore!
What god canst thou, too bold,
In time of need implore!
Look! for thy sails flap o’er,
Thy stiff shrouds part and flee,
Fast—fast thy seams outpour,—
Tempt not the tyrant sea!
What though thy ribs of old
The pines of Pontus bore!
Not now to stern of gold
Men trust, or painted prore!
Thou, or thou count’st it store
A toy of winds to be,
Shun thou the Cyclads’ roar,—
Tempt not the tyrant sea!
ENVOY
Ship of the State, before
A care, and now to me
A hope in my heart’s core,—
Tempt not the tyrant sea!
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Today both kids went to their friend Omar's after school
I'm presuming actual unreal universes, rather than historical ones, so I haven't included Jack Aubrey's Woolcombe, Sharon Kay Penman's York, etc. Nor am I including Thursday Next's universe because I haven't explored all of it, though I am loving my visits in the books.
1. Avalon and Camelot from Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon.
2. Hogsmeade and Wizard London from Harry Potter.
3. The woods near Athens from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
4. Gondor, Rohan, Lothlorien, Mirkwood and the Shire from The Lord of the Rings.
5. The United Federation of Planets from Star Trek, including Earth, Bajor, Vulcan, Betazed and of course Risa. Preferably Picard's era, as it was still mighty sexist in Kirk's and I'd rather explore than be caught in the middle of the Dominion War.
1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go? All over the British Isles, France, Spain and Italy. I'd love to see the rest of Europe but I doubt I could do it justice in a single summer and I'd rather spend quality time in one region than try to cram in everything in a few weeks.
2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat? I honestly don't care when I'm traveling; I like shopping in whatever city/town I'm staying in at the local store just to see what it carries. I love food, gourmet and lunch truck alike, and so long as I got some seafood, some chocolate and some really good bread, I'd be happy.
3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see? I have a long list of churches, castles, art museums and historical sites, but I also want to pass through towns that aren't particularly notable for any of the above, nor for tourists, and just talk to people.
4. What airline would you use? Our frequent flier cards are for United but I don't really care so long as it's safe and as comfortable as coach ever is.
5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French?) I do speak some French, I speak minimal Spanish and I don't speak a word of Italian, so not really.
1. Cola: Dr. Brown's Black Cherry. (Of the major commercial brands, it's Coke over Pepsi by a huge margin.)
2. Sneakers: Nike fit me better than Reebok but I'm not all that picky.
3. Hair care: I'm allergic to a lot, so I tend to stick to Neutrogena and things I know won't make me itch.
4. Small electronics: My car CD player is Sony as is one of my VCRs; my cameras are Nikon; I'd have to do inventory to find out who made the portable CD players etc. in this house.
5. Automobile: Of the vehicles I have owned, two have been Toyotas and I have adored them both.
Masthead of the HMS Warrior, Portsmouth. (Goes with the poem.)
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