The Albatross
Often, for amusement, sailors take along
The albatross, that noble bird of sky,
Who follows clumsily the ship so strong,
Gliding above the gulf, the deeps nearby.
Once placed upon the deck, these azure princes,
Now awkward seem, like clowns without a role;
Their mighty wings, once sovereign instruments,
Hang like abandoned oars, bereft of soul.
This winged traveler, how helpless now he seems!
So fair in flight, yet comic, pitiful, weak.
One mocks his crippled gait with cruel gleams,
Another burns his beak with iron sleek.
So too, O poet, prince of heights untold,
You ride the storm, the tempest is your friend;
But when you walk on earth, in mire and cold,
Your giant wings impede you to the end.
