Classic Poem

The sea, scarce murmuring, slept in peace,
Though full of glory, bright as noon,
Which, through the clouds — a silvery fleece —
Gushed down from the resplendent moon.
Melted in blue the distant flood —
Like jewels gleamed the sparkling sand —
And I alone, in solemn mood,
Paced up and down the silent strand.

Oh, what, in such a silent night,
Will through the human bosom throng,
Was never felt by day's broad light,
Was never told in earthly song.
A breath mysterious seems to creep
From Heaven upon the tranquil air,
A vision o'er the soul to sweep, —
'Tis half a smile, and half a prayer.

Thy spirit, freed from flesh, can trace
God's way in all below, above,
And feels, through all the realms of space,
The stirring of a boundless love.
By His cool breath thy tears are dried,
The thorns all wear a rosy glow,
And Love, through Life's mysterious tide,
Dives upward, swanlike, from below.

The heaviest woe thou e'er didst feel
Smiles back on thee with radiant brow,
And Death, who breaks thy life's dark seal,
Is Freedom's herald to thee now
Thy look meets his with love and pride,
While thrills a holy awe through thee,
As through a bridegroom, whom the bride
Leads to the blissful mystery.

Enough! Enough! Forbear, my song!
The thoughts that, in a moonlit night,
Will through a mortal bosom throng,
No earthly poem may recite.
They come like breaths of Heaven, that creep
From Eden's palm-groves on the air, —
A wordless vision, clear and deep —
'Tis half a smile, and half a prayer!