Man Sails the Deep Awhile

MAN sails the deep awhile;

Loud runs the roaring tide;

The seas are wild and wide;

O’er many a salt, o’er many a desert mile,

The unchained breakers ride,

The quivering stars beguile¹.

Hope bears the sole command;

Hope, with unshaken eyes,

Sees flaw and storm arise;

Hope, the good steersman, with unwearying hand,

Steers², under changing skies,

Unchanged toward the land.

O wind that bravely blows!

O hope that sails with all

Where stars and voices call!

O ship undaunted that forever goes

Where God, her admiral,

His battle signal shows!

What though the seas and wind

Far on the deep should whelm

Colours and sails and helm?

There, too, you touch that port that you designed —

There, in the mid-seas’ realm,

Shall you that haven³ find.

Well hast thou sailed: now die,

To die is not to sleep.

Still your true course you keep,

O sailor soul, still sailing for the sky;

And fifty fathom⁴ deep

Your colours still shall fly.

1 beguile   

vt.欺骗，消遣

参考例句：

• They are playing cards to beguile the time.他们在打牌以消磨时间。
• He used his newspapers to beguile the readers into buying shares in his company.他利用他的报纸诱骗读者买他公司的股票。

2 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句

3 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

4 fathom   

v.领悟，彻底了解

参考例句：

• I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
• What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。