Sonnet Written Off Cefallonia 1820 by Joanna Baillie Lyrics

ONCE more, ye Pleiads of the Ionian deep,
Welcome! in misty distance, 'midst the roar
Of warring waves and winds, that fiercely sweep
The giant barriers of the Locrian shore!
The struggling beams of infant light ye shed,
Seem lovelier far, tho' timorously bright,
Oh! may they light the inevitable storm,
And shine, e'er long, the morning star of Greece:
Britannia! shield young Freedom's shrinking form;
Protect in war, and educate in peace.
Amidst the gloom which Othman's race has spread,
The lengthen'd darkness of that wint'ry night,
Welcome, ye Pleiads! may your orient ray
Become the sun of Greece, the dawn of Day!