A GLOW of crimson glory floods the west, And clouds assume the purple robe of kings; I hear above me, rushing to the nest, The sweep of "sunset wings;" Hear, too, the rhythmic chiming of the waves Scattering a shower of light upon the sand; As twilight with her train of misty haze Walks slowly o'er the land. From some far church the bell of vesper rings -- A voice to tell the hour of prayer and praise; I deem it, as in solitude I stand The requiem of days. O thou to-morrow, as yet dimly seen! O dawn of morn unknown, and yet to be! What, as you glimmer o'er the changing scene, What bear you unto me? In vain I try to pierce the misty veil, I vain I bend towards you a listening ear? I neither mark a swift advancing sail, Nor seas by winds swept clear; No holy anthem echoes o'er the sea, Your skies and clouds are tremulous and pale; What passage in the chapter of the year, Trace you in my Life's tale? Monotony? The sleepy swell of waves That neither rise to storm nor sink to rest; Or -- sand and sea-weed rent from hidden graves? I wonder which were best! To dream at ease where winds are soft and low, And sky and sea meet cloudless far away; Or where the storm clouds hurry to and fro O'er a wild world of spray. Make answer, oh! thou soul within my breast, To sleep, and dreams, and pleasure, answer No! I turn from these to living, acting day, Where deeds like stars may glow. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONG TO THE MEN OF ENGLAND by THOMAS CAMPBELL TO LIZBIE BROWNE by THOMAS HARDY ANTIQUE JEWELER by FREDERICK HENRY HERBERT ADLER THE ORGANIST by KATHARINE LEE BATES TO THE LORD LOVE (AT THE APPROACH OF OLD AGE) by KATHERINE HARRIS BRADLEY HUNTER'S MOON by ELIZABETH BROWN (AMERICAN) THE SHEPHERD'S PIPE: FOURTH ECLOGUE. TO MR. THOMAS MANWOOD by WILLIAM BROWNE (1591-1643) |