| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 551. Sea-Birds |
| | | By Elizabeth Akers Allen (“Florence Percy”) |
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| O LONESOME sea-gull, floating far | |
| Over the ocean’s icy waste, | |
| Aimless and wide thy wanderings are, | |
| Forever vainly seeking rest:— | |
| Where is thy mate, and where thy nest? | 5 |
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| ’Twixt wintry sea and wintry sky, | |
| Cleaving the keen air with thy breast, | |
| Thou sailest slowly, solemnly; | |
| No fetter on thy wing is pressed:— | |
| Where is thy mate, and where thy nest? | 10 |
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| O restless, homeless human soul, | |
| Following for aye thy nameless quest, | |
| The gulls float, and the billows roll; | |
| Thou watchest still, and questionest:— | |
| Where is thy mate, and where thy nest? | 15 |
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