This I have always longed to do
The sea said, as the spring wind blew –
There is a house on Gansey Bay;
Would I carry her away!
A little house, so close to me
That I can touch her, said the sea,
Yet through the years she calmly stands
Nor listens to my loud demands.
Ah, would I love her, said the sea;
I would adorn her prettily –
Plate her with pearl, with glinting shell,
Fill her with gold men love so well;
Windows of moonglow, coral gates;
Roof her with stars instead of slates;
Ah, what a passion, said the sea;
Ah, what a princess she would be…
The little house in Gansey Bay
Heard all the ocean had to say,
And smiled and twinkled in the sun
As though it pleased her sense of fun.
Thou wouldst destroy me sir, said she,
Love is a word far, far from thee,
And I’ll stay here, nor ever roam,
For I am that best, beloved – Home.
Poem by Vera Martin, from Isle of Man Daily Times, May 11, 1959 courtesy of the imuseum
Photograph of a cottage on Gansey Bay also from imuseum