Written near the sea.
THEE! lucid arbiter ‘twixt day and night,
The seaman greets, as on the ocean stream
Reflected, thy precursive friendly beam
Points out the long-sought haven to his sight.
Watching for thee, the lover’s ardent eyes
Turn to the eastern hills; and as above
Thy brilliance trembles, hails the lights that rise
To guide his footsteps to expecting love!
I mark thee too, as night’s dark clouds retire,
And thy bright radiance glances on the sea;
But never more shall thy heraldic fire
Speak of approaching morn with joy to me!
Quench’d in the gloom of death that heavenly ray
Once lent to light me on my thorny way!
(Charlotte Smith)
More Poetry from Charlotte Smith:
Charlotte Smith Poems based on Topics: Sadness, Love, Night, Death & Dying, Light, Sense & Perception- The Emigrants: Book I (Charlotte Smith Poems)
- The Emigrants: Book II (Charlotte Smith Poems)
- The Forest Boy (Charlotte Smith Poems)
- The Origin Of Flattery (Charlotte Smith Poems)
- Occasional Address (Charlotte Smith Poems)
- A Descriptive Ode (Charlotte Smith Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Night Poems, Light Poems, Sadness Poems, Death & Dying Poems, Sense & Perception PoemsBased on Keywords: long-sought, arbiter, heraldic, precursive