Page 14 - Round_the_World_with_BJ_1926
P. 14
TRAVEL

I should like to rise and go
W here the golden apples gro w :—
W here below another sky
P arro t islands anchored lie,
And, watched by cockatoos and goats,
Lonely Crusoes building boats:—
W here in sunshine reaching out
Eastern cities, miles about,
A re with mosque and minaret
A m on g sandy garden s set,
A nd rich goods from near and far
H a n g fo r sale in the b a z a a r ;—
W here the G reat W all ’round China goes,
A n d on one side the desert blows,
And with bell and voice and drum,
Cities on the other h u m ;—
W here are forests hot as fire,
W ide as England, tall as a spire,
Full of apes and cocoanuts
A nd the negro hunters’ huts;—
W here the knotty crocodile
Lies and blinks in the Nile,
A n d the red flam ingo flies
H unting fish before his eyes:—
W here in jungles, near and far,
M an-devouring tigers are,
L yin g close and g ivin g ear
Lest the hunt be draw in g near,
Or a comer by be seen
Sw in g in g in a p a la n q u in ;—
W here among the desert sands
Some deserted city stands,
A ll its children, sweet and prince,
G ro w n to manhood ages since,
Not a foot in street or house,
Not a stir of child or mouse,
A nd when kindly fa lls the night,
In all the town no spark of light.
T h ere I ’ll come when I ’m a man,
W ith a camel caravan :
L ig h t a fire in the gloom
O f some dusty dining room ;
See the pictures on the w alls,
Heroes, fights, and fe stiv a ls;
A n d in a corner find the toys
O f the old Egyptian boys.

— Robert Louis Stevenson
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