A VIGIL.
DARK shore, and desolate sky
Unquickened by a star;
Sad sea where wandering sails are lost
In night afar!
Unquickened by a star;
Sad sea where wandering sails are lost
In night afar!
No human presence sweet,
Nor other sound beside
Save that to silence near akin—
The ebbing tide.
Nor other sound beside
Save that to silence near akin—
The ebbing tide.
Only a lonely wreck
High on the lonely beach,
Whose hopelessness defies at last
The breaker's reach.
High on the lonely beach,
Whose hopelessness defies at last
The breaker's reach.
O Earth that keeps no watch,
O Heaven that lights no star,
He is who cares for every sail,
Each broken spar!
O Heaven that lights no star,
He is who cares for every sail,
Each broken spar!