Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2019 | Page 82

Song of the seas
Island School, Lee, Wing Yan Hannah - 13
Stories of heroic battles,
and ships decked out with gold.
Written down for centuries to come,
Great Voyages retold.
A fleet of ships from an eastern shore,
Set sail to a western sea.
Homeward bound, when pirates struck,
Red as far as the eye could see.
A violent fight was fought,
five-thousand rebels killed.
A victorious fleet emerged,
The Ming Emperor was thrilled!
Their maiden voyage brought great gifts,
So a second and third were called.
Great Zheng He again at helm,
The envoys were enthralled!
With sails aloft and gentle waves,
Ceylon was in plain sight.
They carried back gold, tea and jewels,
All treasures, shining bright.
After a two-year repose ashore,
They were ready to proceed.
They sailed far to Arabia,
An ambitious trip, indeed.
Among the many exotic gifts,
A giraffe was surely new.
Fifth and sixth were just as planned,
Until the order went askew.
Tragically, the emperor passed,
And his succession ordered a pause.
Nine months later his adventurous son,
Added a final journey to this cause.
Zheng He, on his seventh voyage,
Was at sea for three years.
Returning from Kenya when ill fate struck,
His death brought many tears.
Although this great adventurer is gone,
His legacy lives on.
Stories of heroic battles,
and ships decked out with gold.
Written down for centuries to come,
Great Voyages retold.