Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE VOICE by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON

Poet Analysis

First Line: AT SUNRISE, SWIMMING OUT TO SEA
Last Line: AND ANSWER THAT SWEET CALLING.
Subject(s): PARENTS; SEA; PARENTHOOD; OCEAN;

At sunrise, swimming out to sea,
I heard a clear voice calling me
From the little wood whose branches lean
Over the restless water --
I heard, half-dreaming that I heard
The voice of some enchanted bird;
And glancing back, among the green
I saw my little daughter.

When I must breast the stiller sea
That stretches everlastingly
Beneath the starless unknown night,
The darkness round me falling,
May it be given me to hear
Life calling me as crystal-clear --
To glance back once through failing light
And answer that sweet calling.



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