And when the hapless mariner aloft
Hath lost his hold, and down he falls
Amidst the gurgling waters on her lee,
Then, quick as thought, the ruthless felon-jaws
Close on his form;--the sea is stain'd with blood--
One sharp wild shriek is heard--and all is still!
The lion, tiger, alligator, shark--
The wily fox, the bright enamelled snake--
All seek their prey by force or stratagem;
But when--their hunger sated--languor creeps
Around their frames, they quickly sink to rest.
Not so with man--HE never hath enough;
He feeds on all alike; and, wild or tame,
He's but a cannibal. He burns, destroys,
And scatters death to sate his morbid lust
For empty fame. But when the love of gain
Hath struck its roots in his vile, sordid heart,--
Each gen'rous impulse chill'd,--like vampire, now,
He sucks the life-blood of his friends or foes
Until he viler grows than savage beast.
And when, at length, stretch'd on his bed of death,
And powerless, friendless, o'er his clammy brow
The dark'ning shades descend, strong to the last
His avarice lives; and while he feebly plucks
His wretched coverlet, he gasps for breath,
And thinks he gathers gold!

J.W.D.M.