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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


IN THE OFFING by LOUISE CHANDLER MOULTON

Poet Analysis

First Line: A GHOSTLY SHIP SAILS ON A GHOSTLY SEA
Last Line: WHAT STAR OF PROMISE HOLDS THE DARK FOR THEE?

A GHOSTLY ship sails on a ghostly sea,
And bears afar an anxious company,
Whose dreams, whose hopes, whose constant longings yearn
For some fair port from which no ships return --
Some quiet haven, undisturbed by strife
Of vexing surges from our storm-vext life --
Wind-driven surges from our wind-swept life.

My longing heart sails with them as they go,
Anxious as they, and heavy with their woe;
Where is the peaceful shore we long to find --
The waves are stormy, and the path is blind --
The distant sky shuts in the distant sea --
What star of promise holds the dark for me?
What star of promise holds the dark for thee?



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