Poems (Clark)/Upheld

by Annie Maria Lawrence Clark

UPHELD

Hither and thither the ocean of life
 Hath borne my wave-tossed barque,—
Now amid sunshine goldenly bright,
 And now where the clouds hang dark.

Sometimes when the wind from the West blew fair,
 I have sat in a quiet calm,
While over the radiant tide there crept
 The sound of a love-fraught psalm.

And other voyagers shared my peace,
 And sweet was the tender care
In which they joined in the matin hymn,
 And made one in the evening prayer.

Then right in the midst of my gladsome calm,
 A wind from the North swept down,
And tossed the waves to a turbulant foam,
 And draped the sky with a frown.

And our fleet of boats was scattered afar,
 And rent into fragments our song;
And alone and sad o'er the ocean wide,
 I wearily drifted along.

Still farther and fainter the shore-line grew,
 Still dimmer the glimpse of green,
That marked where the beautiful islands lay,—
 Gems of peace 'mid the storm-darkened scene.

Afar and alone! and my heart grew faint,
 For I feared that the storm must o'erwhelm,
When over my own fell the clasp of a hand,
 And, "Fear not—there is help at the helm,"

Breathed into the tumult and rage of the storm,
 With such an all-conquering rest,
That it seemed as a portion of heaven's own peace,
 Nestled warm in my quiet breast.

Upheld and sustained, till the tempest was past,
 I still clung to the help-giving hand,
And prayed, whether sunshine or cloud marked my way,
 It would guide till my boat reached the land.

Dear Hand on the helm! though I blindly forget,
 In an hour of doubt and distress,
When Faith clears the mist from my tear-blinded eyes,
 It is there, still waiting to bless.