Good editor Dana--God bless him, we say-- <br /> Will soon be afloat on the main, <br /> Will be steaming away <br /> Through the mist and the spray <br /> To the sensuous climate of Spain. <br /> <br />Strange sights shall he see in that beautiful land <br /> Which is famed for its soap and its Moor, <br /> For, as we understand, <br /> The scenery is grand <br /> Though the system of railways is poor. <br /> <br />For moonlight of silver and sunlight of gold <br /> Glint the orchards of lemons and mangoes, <br /> And the ladies, we're told, <br /> Are a joy to behold <br /> As they twine in their lissome fandangoes. <br /> <br />What though our friend Dana shall twang a guitar <br /> And murmur a passionate strain; <br /> Oh, fairer by far <br /> Than those ravishments are <br /> The castles abounding in Spain. <br /> <br />These castles are built as the builder may list-- <br /> They are sometimes of marble or stone, <br /> But they mostly consist <br /> Of east wind and mist <br /> With an ivy of froth overgrown. <br /> <br />A beautiful castle our Dana shall raise <br /> On a futile foundation of hope, <br /> And its glories shall blaze <br /> In the somnolent haze <br /> Of the mythical lake del y Soap. <br /> <br />The fragrance of sunflowers shall swoon on the air <br /> And the visions of Dreamland obtain, <br /> And the song of "World's Fair" <br /> Shall be heard everywhere <br /> Through that beautiful castle in Spain.<br /><br />Eugene Field<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-great-journalist-in-spain/
