Maiden Knickerbocker And The Gallant Captain Pickwick.

A poem by A. H. Laidlaw

MAIDEN.

O my gallant Captain, whither and away?
Know'st thou Jersey Pirates smuggle in the bay?
Won't you take me with you for a little fly?
If the Pirates catch you, I'll shoot 'em with my eye.


CAPTAIN.

Come, Manhattan Maiden, share the sailor's pains.
If the Pirates catch me, save me from their chains.
Meantime mark the sailor mount the topmast high,
Till his trim tarpaulin almost scrapes the sky,
Luffing to the starboard, tacking o'er the bay,
Thus Manhattan Captains sail their lives away.


MAIDEN.

Who's the girl out yonder reaching up so high,
With her jack-o'-lantern darkening up the sky?
Do you think she's pretty? Do you think it pays
Standing up so bare like, with no polonaise?


CAPTAIN.

Now, Manhattan Maiden, 'tis the Law Marine
No form but that of Captain must on this Bay be seen;
So look at me, my maiden, mark my windward eye,
Neptune his sweet Venus loves no more than I.
Luffing to the starboard, tacking o'er the bay
Thus the loving Captain sails his life away.


MAIDEN.

What are those far Highlands, blue as Beauty's eye
Looking like the islands of an upper sky?
Take me to their summits that I may explore
All the caves and creatures I never saw before.


CAPTAIN.

'Tis a mystic saying: "He who seeks that shore
Fades and then his fate is never heard of more."
Such a distant prospect seek not now to spy,
Let one loving sailor fill your starry eye.
Luffing to the starboard, tacking o'er the Bay,
Thus the gallant Captain sails his life away.


MAIDEN.

Where is the Atlantic? I've heard grandfather say
He sailed on its huge surge from Holland far away,
O take me to the Ocean where the steamer sails,
A wonder to the lubbers and terror to the whales.


CAPTAIN.

Lubbers' yarns! My Maiden, trust you what I say,
There never was an Ocean - nothing but this Bay,
And if you'll be my bride, the whole world we'll explore,
In sight of New York Harbor and Staten Island shore.
Luffing to the starboard, tacking o'er the Bay,
Thus the married Captain sails his life away.