Poems (Hornblower)/Evening
For works with similar titles, see Evening.
EVENING.
Oh Evening! in thy light, subdued and pale, I love to wander forth, when the cold breeze Upon the night-cloud flees,And deep thy shades prevail;When all is hushed, and nature seems to shareWith human hearts the universal prayer.
I love to meditate, as on thy sky Sits the blest empress of the silent night, On realms more pure and bright,And raise my mournful eyeFrom earth and grief, and the dark ills of time,To heavenlier scenes, and visions more sublime.
And, as the million rays of worlds of bliss Rise up in the dun void, and seem to say, A Father's hand upon our wayHath launched us through the dark abyss,Awed by their silent glory, swift I turnFrom hopes and fears of earth, and holier feelings burn.
And in my raptured soul I consecrate All past devotion, and I feel how vain All mortal joy or pain,In such a fleeting state;And raise my soul beyond a few brief tears,To the great Author of eternal years!
Then, Evening! as upon my soothed heart Thy breath is felt, and falls thy cooling shade, In heaven's own calm surveyed,A holier influence they impart;And while thy gloomy clouds above me roll,A brighter day is dawning on my soul.
O! ever thus be mine thy hallowed hours, Thy twilight shadows, and thy fitful sighs, Thy breezes cold, that wildly rise,Thy fragrant closing flowers;And ever mine, thy soft, mysterious spell,That makes the human heart sadly, yet sweetly swell.