Written at Midnight during a Storm, on Board the Medway, in the
South Seas.
WHILE the children of Jacob in Goshen remain,
They know but the change of the even and morn:
No visions of glory their senses enchain,
No bright coruscations their pathway adorn.
But soon as they march on their perilous way,
Through the sea and the waste to the land of delight,
A bright cloudy pillar precedes them by day,
And a pillar of fire illumines the night.
And so when the sun of prosperity beams,
In the home of his forefathers, brightly and clear,
All peaceful the path of the Christian seems,
But visions of glory may never appear.
Yet soon as he speeds through the enemy’s land,
Or soon as adversity’s tempests assail,
The angel of God will appear at his hand,
And the music of heaven sound sweet in the gale.
Ye, beautiful clouds, are a symbol to me,
Of the sights I have seen and the joys I have felt,
Since first I embarked on this perilous sea,
Since first in the land of the stranger I dwelt.
Nor would I the sweet recollection forego,
For the scenes that my boyhood was wont to admire;
Thy beauties, fair Scotland, how faintly they glow
To the luminous cloud and the pillar of fire.
(John Dunmore Lang)
More Poetry from John Dunmore Lang:
John Dunmore Lang Poems based on Topics: God, Night, Joy & Excitement, Heaven, Success, Christianity, Fairness, Home, Angels, Fire, Enemy- The King And The Abbot. (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
- My Dream. (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
- Ode To Glasgow College (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
- Verses - III (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
- The Female Convict's Death. (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
- The Irish Stew. (John Dunmore Lang Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: God Poems, Night Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Heaven Poems, Fairness Poems, Christianity Poems, Fire Poems, Home Poems, Beauty Poems, Success Poems, Money & Wealth PoemsBased on Keywords: embarked, medway, precedes, enchain, goshen, coruscations