Classic Poem

Come with a smile, when come thou must,
Evangel of the world to be,
And touch and glorify this dust, —
This shuddering dust, that now is me, —
And from this prison set me free!

Long in those awful eyes I quail,
That gaze across the grim profound:
Upon that sea there is no sail,
Nor any light nor any sound
From the far shore that girds it round:

Only, — two still and steady rays
That those twin orbs of doom o'ertop;
Only, — a tranquil, patient gaze
That drinks my being, drop by drop,
And bids the pulse of Nature stop.

Come with a smile, auspicious friend,
To usher in the eternal day!
Of these weak terrors make an end,
And charm the paltry chains away
That bind me to this timorous clay!

And let me know my soul akin
To sunrise, and the winds of morn,
And every grandeur that has been
Since this refulgent world was born, —
Nor longer droop in my own scorn!

Come, when the way grows dark and chill!
Come, when the baffled mind is weak,
And in the heart the voice is still,
That used in happier days to speak,
Or only whispers, sadly meek.

Come with thy smile that dims the sun,
Thy pitying heart and gentle hand,
To waft me, from my vigil done,
To peace, that waits on thy command,
In some yet undiscovered land!