Page:Poems Baldwin.djvu/35

Oh, thou pure wave that lies in perfect rest,
 Didst thou dance as the gay ones o'er thee pass'd?
Didst thou shine as they laugh'd upon thy breast,
 Or wast a foe with the wild, sudden blast?
    Thou hast wash'd the caves
     Where murderers dwell;
    Hast sigh'd where the loving
     Have said their farewell!

Oh, thou still wave that cools my trembling hands,
 A prouder life was thine upon the sea;
The ships of war thou bore from far-off lands,
 And merchant vessels, all have liv'd on thee.
    What hast thou mirror'd?
     The north polar-star?
    Hast thou leap'd in the light
     Of western suns far?

Oh, thou sweet wave, whose latest murmur's heard,
 Could thou relate all that has o'er thee sprung!
We may not hear from thy proud silence word;
 But with the winds hast thou in concert sung.
    Best thee, O thou wave,
     Till the breezy day
    Wakens thee again
     To hasten on thy way!