Poems (Hoffman)/The Desert Camel
THE DESERT CAMEL
Trackless and bare are the sands of the desertNo verdure adorns them, no green tree is there;Parched by the winds and the hot, scorching sun rays,Strewn with white bones lying bleaching and bare,Like a vast ocean of rolling sand surgesBeaten and driven like waves on the deep,Changing and shifting in wildest confusionIn the hot wind-storms that over them sweep.Patiently, slowly, across the vast oceanPlod the strong camels, so faithful and true;Ships of the desert; with merchandise laden,Gladly for them comes the harbor in view.Onward they toil on their long, weary voyage,While never a blade of grass blesses their sight;Cheered through the day by the songs of the Arabs,Resting upon the bare sand-waves by night.