Page:Morning-Glories and Other Stories.djvu/205

Watch, dear mates, by the fading light,
The mariner small who steers aright,
By compass and chart unseen, yet true,
And ferries over an elfin crew,
With tiny rudder and said and oar,
Voyaging safely from shore to shore:
      While the mermaids fair,
      With their shining hair,
  Glide up from their ocean home.
      "Come away, come away!"
      The sea-sprites say,
  As they beckon through the foam.

O evening star! serene and still,
Guard us with magic care from ill!
O summer moon! like herald bright,
Guide us along thy path of light!
O friendly waves! bear on your breast
Elfin wanderers to their rest!
      See, how low and dim,
      On the ocean's rim,
  Lies the shore we left behind:
      Farewell! Farewell!
      Let the echo swell,
  Bear it home on your wings, sweet wind!