Poems for the Sea/To a Retired Seaman
TO A RETIRED SEAMAN.
How pleasant, when the toils of life,
And ruder cares have pass'd away,
To turn from troubled floods and gain
The shelter of some quiet bay,
And there refit the shatter'd sails
That time and chance have sorely tried,
And meditate, as peaceful years
Glide on, to meet the eternal tide.
Tis thus with thee, whose course hath been
O'er many a sea and many a shore,
Where battle thunders shook the main
Or winds and waves in conflict roar.
But now, thy cheerful hearth beside
Thy happier lot it is to see
Domestic comfort flourish fair,
And yield its cherish'd fruits to thee.
Forget not, on thy varied chart
To write His name, who rules thy days,
And from remember'd woes to rear
A lasting monument of praise.
Son of the Sea! thy glorious choice
Is by thy Saviour's Cross to cling,
So mayst thou in his glory share,
And mid yon skies, no cloud that wear,
The anthem of salvation sing.