Sand Castles

Sand Castles

Build me a castle of sandDown by the sea.Here on the edge of the strandBuild it for me.How shall a foeman invade,Where may he land,While we can raise with our spadeCastles of sand?Turrets upleap and aspire,Battlements riseSweeping the sea with their fire,Storming the skies.Pile that a monarch might own,Mightily plann’d!I can’t sit here on a throne,This is too grand.Build me a cottage of sandUp on the hill;Snug in a cleft it must standSunny and still.Plant it with ragwort and ling,Bramble and bine:Castles I’ll leave to the King,This shall be mine.Storm-clouds drive over the land,High flies the spray;Gone are our houses of sand,Vanished away!Look at the damage you’ve done,Sea-wave and rain!—“Nay, we but give you your funOver again.”

Build me a castle of sandDown by the sea.Here on the edge of the strandBuild it for me.How shall a foeman invade,Where may he land,While we can raise with our spadeCastles of sand?Turrets upleap and aspire,Battlements riseSweeping the sea with their fire,Storming the skies.Pile that a monarch might own,Mightily plann’d!I can’t sit here on a throne,This is too grand.Build me a cottage of sandUp on the hill;Snug in a cleft it must standSunny and still.Plant it with ragwort and ling,Bramble and bine:Castles I’ll leave to the King,This shall be mine.Storm-clouds drive over the land,High flies the spray;Gone are our houses of sand,Vanished away!Look at the damage you’ve done,Sea-wave and rain!—“Nay, we but give you your funOver again.”

Build me a castle of sandDown by the sea.Here on the edge of the strandBuild it for me.How shall a foeman invade,Where may he land,While we can raise with our spadeCastles of sand?

Build me a castle of sand

Down by the sea.

Here on the edge of the strand

Build it for me.

How shall a foeman invade,

Where may he land,

While we can raise with our spade

Castles of sand?

Turrets upleap and aspire,Battlements riseSweeping the sea with their fire,Storming the skies.Pile that a monarch might own,Mightily plann’d!I can’t sit here on a throne,This is too grand.

Turrets upleap and aspire,

Battlements rise

Sweeping the sea with their fire,

Storming the skies.

Pile that a monarch might own,

Mightily plann’d!

I can’t sit here on a throne,

This is too grand.

Build me a cottage of sandUp on the hill;Snug in a cleft it must standSunny and still.Plant it with ragwort and ling,Bramble and bine:Castles I’ll leave to the King,This shall be mine.

Build me a cottage of sand

Up on the hill;

Snug in a cleft it must stand

Sunny and still.

Plant it with ragwort and ling,

Bramble and bine:

Castles I’ll leave to the King,

This shall be mine.

Storm-clouds drive over the land,High flies the spray;Gone are our houses of sand,Vanished away!Look at the damage you’ve done,Sea-wave and rain!—“Nay, we but give you your funOver again.”

Storm-clouds drive over the land,

High flies the spray;

Gone are our houses of sand,

Vanished away!

Look at the damage you’ve done,

Sea-wave and rain!

—“Nay, we but give you your fun

Over again.”

W. Graham Robertson.


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