Songs of the Silent World and Other Poems/Sung to a Friend
SUNG TO A FRIEND.
The tide is rising, risingOut of the infinite sea;From ripple, to wave, to billow,Past beryl and gold and crimson,A prism of perfect splendor;What shall the white surf be?
The sacred tide is rising,Rising for you and me.Defiant across the breaker,Wave unto wave must answer,The sea to the shore will follow;When shall the great flood be?
The tide must turn falling, fallingBack to the awful sea.Thus far shalt thou go, no farther.The color sinks to the shadow, The pæan sobs into silence,Where shall the ebb-line be?
By the weeds left blazing, beatingLike heart-throbs of the sea,By the law of the land and the ocean,By the Hand that holdeth the torrent,I summon the tide eternalTo flow for you and me!