All moveless stand the ancient cedar-trees Along the drifted sand-hills where they grow; And from the dark west comes a wandering breeze, And waves them to and fro. A murky darkness lies along the sand, Where bright the sunbeams of the morning shone, And the eye vainly seeks, by sea and land, Some light to rest upon. No large, pale star its glimmering vigil keeps; An inky sea reflects an inky sky; And the dark river, like a serpent, creeps To where its black piers lie. Strange salty odors through the darkness steal, And through the dark, the ocean-thunders roll; Thick darkness gathers, stifling, till I feel Its weight upon my soul. I stretch my hands out in the empty air; I strain my eyes into the heavy night; Blackness of darkness! -- Father, hear my prayer! Grant me to see the light! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO CARMEN SYLVA (QUEEN OF ROUMANIA) by EMMA LAZARUS A WARRIOR'S PRAYER by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR MY BIRD by EMILY CHUBBUCK JUDSON THE MORNING-GLORY by MARIA WHITE LOWELL IF THE POETS HAD FEARED THE ADVERTISERS by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS AURORA by WILLIAM ALEXANDER (1567-1640) COMPLAINS, BEING HIND'RED THE SIGHT OF HIS NYMPH by PHILIP AYRES |