Classic Poem

One standing on a wild and wind-swept beach,
Saw, far away, the white gleam of a sail,
A moment saw, and then the furious gale
Had borne it far beyond his eyes' wide reach.
Shipwrecked he was, without the kindly speech
Of fellowmen to mingle with his hail,
Or aid, when fell despair, with fierce assail,
Strove his soul's strength and manhood to impeach.
The place was desolate; dark, frowning rock
Rose over valleys full of storm-scarred trees;
No shrub or grass made bright the seaward slope,
Whereon great waves rolled with resistless shock;
Yet even amid such dreary haunts as these,
One light made glad his heart, the smile of Hope.