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"THISTLE."
239
TO THE SEA.
O! thou wild, tempestuous ocean,
Well communes my heart with thee,
In the ever-ceaseless motion,
In the changing hues I see:
How I love thee,
Emblem of the soul to me:
In thy restless, anxious tossing,
In thy struggles to be free,
Doth my spirit, vext with crossing,
Boundless ocean, beat with thee;
Ever varying,
How our fitful moods agree:
Dashing o'er the rocks opposing,
Lashing with thy wave the shore;
Now in gentle calm reposing,
Now convulsed with anger o'er;
How I love thee,
Nearer, dearer than before.
Now I know the ebb and flowing,
Sunny morn and low'ring eve;
Know the coming and the going,
How to joy, and how to grieve:
In my knowing,
Ocean, thou too canst believe.
