Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE WINTER TRAVELER by HENRY KIRKE WHITE

First Line: GOD HELP THEE, TRAVELER, ON THY JOURNEY FAR
Last Line: HIS LONELY BARK THROUGH THE TEMPESTUOUS TIDE.
Subject(s): TRAVEL; WINTER; JOURNEYS; TRIPS;

God help thee, Traveler, on thy journey far;
The wind is bitter keen, -- the snow o'erlays
The hidden pits, and dangerous hollow-ways,
And darkness will involve thee. -- No kind star
To-night will guide thee, Traveler, -- and the war
Of winds and elements, on thy head will break,
And in thy agonizing ear the shriek,
Of spirits howling on their stormy car,
Will often ring appalling -- I portend
A dismal night -- and on my wakeful bed
Thoughts, Traveler, of thee, will fill my head,
And him, who rides where winds and waves contend,
And strives, rude cradled on the seas, to guide
His lonely bark through the tempestuous tide.



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