Classic Poem

Dawn; and a star; and the sea unfurled;
And a miracle hush hanging over the world
And I standing lone by the edge of the sea—
When lo, God came and spoke to me
He spoke to me, and I hid my face,
For a wide white glory illum'ed the place.
And I bowed me, trembling: “Oh, God,” I cried,
“Is it here that thy Presence thou dost hide?

“Hast thou always dwelt mid the sea and sky
In the hush that quivers when day is nigh?
I have sought thee long, but have sought in vain,
Through years of trial, through nights of pain,
And all the while thou wert waiting far
In the wave, in the dawn, in the paling star!
Had I known, O God, of thy dwelling place
I might long ago have seen thy face!”

But God made answer, “Not in the star,
Or the dawn, or the wave, did I wait afar
O, child of mine, I was close to thee—
Thou wert always held in the arms of me.
But only now are thine eyes unsealed
And my Ever-presence to thee revealed
Go, turn thee back to the world of men;
Thou shalt never search in vain again.

“On the darkest days thou shalt see my light,
My eyes shall look from the eyes of night;
In the voices of children my voice shall ring,
My splendor shine in the humblest thing.
Thy daily task—it shall thrill with me,
For I shall be near to commune with thee.
O child, this moment thy breath is mine.
Hush—listen! My pulse beats now with thine”

Dawn; and a star; and the sea unfurled;
And a miracle hush hanging over the world.