Poems (Hoffman)/The Deep of Despair and the Haven of Happiness
THE DEEP OF DESPAIR AND THE HAVEN OF HAPPINESS
Like a vision it gleamed through the darknessAnd flashed on my wondering view,And at first, not the half of its beautyNor the depth of its meaning, I knew;'Till as a fair painting in shadowsGrows clearer when daylight has dawned,A radiance illumined its dimnessAs if touched by some magical wand.
The scene was a tempest-tossed ocean,Frightfully dismal and dark,But soon on the waves, I saw tossingThe form of a frail little barque;And nearer and nearer it floated'Till plain to my view it had grown,And I saw in it, weary and helpless,A woman sat weeping alone.
Then an angel came down from the heavensAnd poised her light wings on the air,While she gazed on the waves' inky blacknessAnd the dense, heavy clouds of Despair,And the tempest grew louder and louderAnd the breakers dashed higher; untilShe breathed on the turbulent watersAnd the voice of their murmuring was still.
And the woman aroused by the calmnessFrom the depths of her sorrow awokeAnd lifting her eyes, saw the angel,And thus in soft accents she spoke:"O angel! bright angel! my life barqueHas long sailed on this dreary sea, I have long sought a harbor of refugeBut no morning shall dawn upon me.
For oh! I have left them behind meThe harbors I once hoped to gainI shall never return, but float onward'Till I sink in the fathomless main.Once I sailed on a sea of rare beautyWhere no cold, piercing wind ever blew,Where the warm sunbeams kissed the blue waveletsAnd the storm-clouds were transient and few;
But I longed at some harbor to anchorAnd float no more on the swift tide,To find some bright haven of pleasureAnd there in contentment abide.And many I passed on my journey,And they looked like the Eden of old;But not for me could they blossomOr their marvelous wonders unfold;
And I've given up, long ago, hopingFor a beautiful sylvan retreatWith the pearls of affection 'round me strewnAnd the roses of bliss at my feet;For the contrary winds of troubleHave borne my barque far awayFrom the sea, Hope's beautiful, sunlit sea,Where the shores of happiness lay."
She paused, and the angel answered,In a voice so silvery clear:"O woman! listen to what I sayAnd wreck not thy life barque here,For out on this ocean of darknessBeneath the storm-king's frown,I have watched with emotions of horrorMillions of ships go down.
For they trusted not in the light-houseNor believed in another shoreWhere all tempest-tossed, their barques might landSo they sank to rise no moreDespond not, O woman! look beyondOn the wave a gleam is shedFrom the light-house whose beams flood with gloryA haven that lieth ahead."
She looked where the angel pointedAnd a radiance lit up her faceAnd she said: "O beautiful angel,Where is that happy place?""Come with me," spake the angel,"Fear not the dashing sprayFollow the gleam from the light-houseIt cannot be far away;
And if through the light and shadowOnward, right onward you steer,Soon bathed in a sunlight of gloryThe haven of rest will appear.Onward to join in its music,Onward its glories to share;I was sent from that beautiful refuge,Was sent to guide thee, there."
And calm on the breast of the billowsThrough the shades of the twilight gray,I watched with unwavering interestThe little barque glide away;As mingled with murmuring of watersThe voice of the shining one, said:"O, trust in the strong, faithful light-houseFor the haven that lieth ahead!"