I stood on the shore while the sad twilight drew
Its gray veil across the blue heaven;
And the deep-thoughted stars all looked holily through
The vast bending vault of the even:
And numberless fancies came crowding o'er me
As I gazed on the desolate sea.

I thought of the long sunny days of my youth,
When I dwelt by the murmuring billow;
Of the yellow-ribbed sands and the pebbles so smooth,
Of the beck that crept down by the willow:
And dreams of my childhood were borne unto me
In the dimple and dash of the sea.

I thought of a flow'ret that bloomed for the sky,
A joy that was nipped in the blossom:
The eloquent glow of a love-lighted eye;
The heave of a fluttering bosom:
And the dirge of a lost love came sounding to me
In the murmur and moan of the sea.

I thought of a ship sailing into the west;
Of hearts on her dewy decks grieving;
Of the tear - burdened eyelid—the quivering breast—
The sigh for the land they are leaving:
And a passionate farewell was wafted to me
In the ripple and rush of the sea.

I thought of wild moments of ruin and wrath;
Of mad billows boiling and seething;
Of a proud vessel swept from the tempest's dread path,
Of a low wind above her grave breathing:
And some of Death's secrets were whispered to me
In the howling and hush of the sea.

I thought of the peace of a heavenly shore;
Of a land where no broad sea can sever;
Of a glad light which sorrow can darken no more;
Of a rest to the weary for ever:
And a chorus of angels seemed breathed unto me
In the tremor and thrill of the sea.