I should like to rise and go
Where the golden apples grow-
Where below another sky
Parrot islands anchored lie,
And, watched by cockatoos and goats,
Lonely crusoes building boats,-
Where in the sunshine reaching out
Eastern cities, miles about
Are with mosque and minaret
Among sandy gardens set,
And the rich goods from near and far
Hang for sale in the bazaar,-
Where the great wall around China goes,
And one side the desert blows,
And with the bell and voice and drum,
Cities on the other hum,-
Where are forests hot as fire,
Wide as England, tall as a spire,
Full of apes and cocoa-nuts
And the negro hunter’s huts,-
Where the knotty crocodile
Lies and blinks in the Nile,
And the red flamingo flies
Hunting fish before his eyes,-
Where in jungles near and far,
Man-devouring tigers are,
Lying close and giving ear
Lest the hunt be drawing near,
Or a comer-by be seen
Swinging in a palanquin,-
Where among the desert sands
Some deserted city stands,
All its children,sweep and prince,
Grown to manhood ages since,
Not a foot in street or house,
Not stir of child or mouse,
And when kindly falls the night,
In all the town no spark of light.
There I’ll come when I’m a man
With a camel caravan;
Light a fire in the gloom
Of some dusty dining room;
See the pictures on the walls,
Heroes,fights and festivals;
And in a corner find the toys
Of the old Egyptian boys.
NOTE : This not my poem, this the poem that inspired me and showed me that I could write poems too. It is also the first real poem I read ( nursery rhymes don’t count ) and my favorite poem.
