On Our Unknown Sea

An officer at the front has sent home some verses written by his ten-year-old daughter 

and sent "To Dad Mobilised," which are published by "The Times". They are as follow:—

We sailed along, and we sailed along,
Singing our song and singing our song,
    The song of the unknown sea,
Just you and me, Dad, just you and me.

We sailed along, amid fairy isles,
And brought our booty in glowing piles.
    Booty that none else could see,
'Twas only for you, Dad, and only for me.

We were passed by birds with jewelled wings
Birds that only for us could sing;
    Rubies fell from an emerald tree.
They were only for you, Dad, and only for me.

Strangers could never our sea explore;
No one could land on our magic shore;
    Everything we could hear or see
Was only for you, Dad, and only for me.

On our unknown sea was never a storm,
Nor anything else that could do us harm,
    It was all as happy as happy as happy could be,
Happy for you, Dad, and happy for me.

Though on our lake we may not float,
Side by side in our little boat,
    In dreams we sail on our unknown sea
That is only for you, Dad, and only for me.

From The Witness, 3rd September 1915.
Image: Yellow Boat, a painting by Odilon Redon