Two islands, both alike in beauty,
'Round fair Somosomo Strait, where we lay our scene.
The refined, reclusive resorts of the west
Contrast the raw ragged ranges of the east
Made rich by the jewel of Pacific power between.
Here flows the heart, where deep meets restless shallow,
A royal mantle clad in coral bloom,
To whisper to the diver and the chief:
No kingdom stands alone upon the wave.
Yet mark the tide: no wall of reef or stone
Can sever what the living se binds whole.
For all the splendour on the western shore,
And all the forest wild upon the height
Must drink the self-same current as it turns.
The Strait belongs to neither resort nor ridge,
To no sovereign king nor buyer's privilege-
So let the current teach what stewardship requires.
To which if you with open ears attend
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
