Aboard at a ship's helm,
A young steersman steering with care.
Through
fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing,
An ocean bell-O a warning bell,
rock'd by the waves.
O you give good notice indeed, you bell
by the sea-reefs ringing,
Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship
from its wreck-place.
For as on the alert O steersman,
you mind the loud admonition,
The bows turn, the frightened ship tacking
speeds away under her gray sails,
The beautiful and noble ship with all her precious
wealth speeds away gayly and safe.
But O the ship, the immortal ship!
O ship aboard the ship! Ship of
the body, ship of the soul,
voyaging, voyaging
Walt Whitman
