THE BLESSED ISLES

No newspapers reached us by that mail. Wail from the Islands

Twere joy to dwell in those lone isles Ringed by the purple haze of sea. Where only the brown nigger smiles And all the world is mystery; Where tufted palms are tall and ind And taller grey !olcanoes frown" And there is nothing to remind The soul of wars and woes and town. The steamer lies in the lagoon With coral trash beneath her screw; #e cordage $ui!ers in the moon And all the light is misty blue; %he is a harmless type of craft" &f rage and wrath that bears no hint" 'or up and down" and fore and aft %he carries nothing set in print. The (erman guns may smash the world" &r waste their strength in idle smo e" A thousand battle flags unfurled The autumn rains may smirch and soa " And large conjecture running rife )ay fill our souls with fancies pale" *ut all our nowledge of the strife +s garnered from the s ipper,s tale. We ha!e no maps to trace the strife; The battle names are strange of sound; And in the wordy waste of life The north of 'rance seems spinning round. We fill our glasses to the brim" The night grows late" the stars are pale" And than fully we drin to him *etween whose whis ers throb this tale.

.es" let me dwell in lonely isle" Ringed with sil!er fringe of dream" Where only the tall nigger smiles Amid a blue and tropic stream; Where" as the coconut grows ripe" The wag of some grey s ipper,s jaw )ay season all the battle trip The daily papers ser!e us raw.

/at &,)aori /seudonym of 0a!id )c1ee Wright N.%.W. The Bulletin -2th 0ecember -3-4