Well I remember him long years ago,
As on our vessel's deck I saw him stand;
When yet, the Crescent City far below,
He came to take my father by the hand.
And with him Noble, Felt, and Hooper there,
Brave captains then, like him, and in their prime,
Yet none more ruddy, and erect, and fair;
Remembered well through fifty years of time.
But all are gone! himself the last to leave
This changing scene for higher, nobler life!
Why for the aged seaman should we grieve,
Who bore so well life's storms, and ocean's strife?
Safe in the harbor of an endless rest,
With those he mourned and loved on earth the best.