The Voice of the Sea.

The Voice of the Sea.

I hear the deep voice of the sea,As slowly it breaks on the shore,With the self-same toneTo my childhood known—Its music for evermore!How sublimely its accents fallAnd pierce each recess of the soul,Recalling the pastWith a trumpet’s blast,And a might beyond control!It tells of the gay infant hoursWhen I play’d on the sun-lit sand,Whilst each shell and stoneWas a wealth unknown,And the beach a fairy-land.It speaks of the wild boyish daysWhen I roam’d to the rocks afar,Where the black sea-weedCracks loud to the tread,And shell-fish in thousand are.All times on my spirit come backWhen I’ve dwelt by thy shore, O sea;Each friend I have known,Each look and each tone,Now cruelly reft from me.Thy voice is the voice of a dirge,And mournfully sighs for the dead;Sound on, then, thy knell,Like a funeral bell,For the loved who from earth have fled.Yet Hope seems to sweeten the sound,Bright Faith, and her sister Love;For whilst on thy brink,I cheerfully think,Of the calm blue heavens above!

I hear the deep voice of the sea,As slowly it breaks on the shore,With the self-same toneTo my childhood known—Its music for evermore!How sublimely its accents fallAnd pierce each recess of the soul,Recalling the pastWith a trumpet’s blast,And a might beyond control!It tells of the gay infant hoursWhen I play’d on the sun-lit sand,Whilst each shell and stoneWas a wealth unknown,And the beach a fairy-land.It speaks of the wild boyish daysWhen I roam’d to the rocks afar,Where the black sea-weedCracks loud to the tread,And shell-fish in thousand are.All times on my spirit come backWhen I’ve dwelt by thy shore, O sea;Each friend I have known,Each look and each tone,Now cruelly reft from me.Thy voice is the voice of a dirge,And mournfully sighs for the dead;Sound on, then, thy knell,Like a funeral bell,For the loved who from earth have fled.Yet Hope seems to sweeten the sound,Bright Faith, and her sister Love;For whilst on thy brink,I cheerfully think,Of the calm blue heavens above!

I hear the deep voice of the sea,As slowly it breaks on the shore,With the self-same toneTo my childhood known—Its music for evermore!

I hear the deep voice of the sea,

As slowly it breaks on the shore,

With the self-same tone

To my childhood known—

Its music for evermore!

How sublimely its accents fallAnd pierce each recess of the soul,Recalling the pastWith a trumpet’s blast,And a might beyond control!

How sublimely its accents fall

And pierce each recess of the soul,

Recalling the past

With a trumpet’s blast,

And a might beyond control!

It tells of the gay infant hoursWhen I play’d on the sun-lit sand,Whilst each shell and stoneWas a wealth unknown,And the beach a fairy-land.

It tells of the gay infant hours

When I play’d on the sun-lit sand,

Whilst each shell and stone

Was a wealth unknown,

And the beach a fairy-land.

It speaks of the wild boyish daysWhen I roam’d to the rocks afar,Where the black sea-weedCracks loud to the tread,And shell-fish in thousand are.

It speaks of the wild boyish days

When I roam’d to the rocks afar,

Where the black sea-weed

Cracks loud to the tread,

And shell-fish in thousand are.

All times on my spirit come backWhen I’ve dwelt by thy shore, O sea;Each friend I have known,Each look and each tone,Now cruelly reft from me.

All times on my spirit come back

When I’ve dwelt by thy shore, O sea;

Each friend I have known,

Each look and each tone,

Now cruelly reft from me.

Thy voice is the voice of a dirge,And mournfully sighs for the dead;Sound on, then, thy knell,Like a funeral bell,For the loved who from earth have fled.

Thy voice is the voice of a dirge,

And mournfully sighs for the dead;

Sound on, then, thy knell,

Like a funeral bell,

For the loved who from earth have fled.

Yet Hope seems to sweeten the sound,Bright Faith, and her sister Love;For whilst on thy brink,I cheerfully think,Of the calm blue heavens above!

Yet Hope seems to sweeten the sound,

Bright Faith, and her sister Love;

For whilst on thy brink,

I cheerfully think,

Of the calm blue heavens above!


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