by Edward Thompson, Commodore (c1738 - 1786)
The topsails shiver in the wind
Language: English
The topsails shiver in the wind,
The ship she casts to sea;
But yet my soul, my heart, my mind,
Are, Mary, moor'd [by]1 thee:
For though thy sailor's bound afar,
Still love shall be his leading star.
Should landsmen flatter when [we're]2 sail'd,
O, doubt their artful tales;
No gallant sailor ever fail'd,
If [Cupid fill'd his sails]3:
Thou art the compass of my soul,
Which steers my heart from pole to pole.
Sirens in ev'ry [port]4 we meet,
More fell than rocks [and]5 waves;
But [sailors of the]6 British fleet
Are lovers and not slaves:
No foes our courage shall subdue,
Although we've left our hearts with you.
These are our cares; but if you're kind,
We'll scorn the dashing main,
The rocks, [the]7 billows, and the wind,
[The pow'rs of France and Spain.
Now Britain's]8 glory rests with you,
Our sails are full, sweet girls, adieu!
T. Arne sets stanzas 1, 3, 2, 4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Sketches of Hull Authors by the late Reginald Walter Corlass, ed. by C. F. Corlass and William Andrews, Hull, H. Bolton, 1879, page 136.
1 Arne: "with"2 Arne: "we've"
3 Arne: "love breath'd constant gales"
4 Arne: "part"
5 Arne: "or"
6 Arne: "such as grace the"
7 Arne: "and"
8 Arne: "Will threaten us in vain./ Now England's"
Text Authorship:
- by Edward Thompson, Commodore (c1738 - 1786), "The sailor's farewell" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710 - 1778), "The topsails shiver in the wind", stanzas 1,3,2,4. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 149