Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ARRIVAL, by HENRY VAN DYKE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ARRIVAL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Across a thousand miles of sea
Last Line: To thee, dear haven of my heart, and I no more will roam.
Alternate Author Name(s): Civis Americanus
Subject(s): Love; Marriage; Weddings; Husbands; Wives


ACROSS a thousand miles of sea, a hundred leagues of land,
Along a path I had not traced and could not understand,
I travelled fast and far for this, -- to take thee by the hand.

A pilgrim knowing not the shrine where he would bend his knee,
A mariner without a dream of what his port would be,
So fared I with a seeking heart until I came to thee.

O cooler than a grove of palm in some heat-weary place,
O fairer than an isle of calm after the wild sea race,
The quiet room adorned with flowers where first I saw thy face!

Then furl the sail, let fall the oar, forget the paths of foam!
The fate that made me wander far at last has brought me home
To thee, dear haven of my heart, and I no more will roam.





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