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18

[XIV
How often in the tranquil evenings ]

8

How often in the tranquil evenings,
There by the kindled sea's immense unrest,
Has love, like music in the human breast,
Thrilled us with incommunicable things!
How often, as we watched the sea-birds' wings
Flash in the sunset on their homeward quest,
Have life's large secrets, by the soul confessed,
Taught us the pride and peace that freedom brings!
How often have we felt the calm of thought
Quell the storm-shaken waters of the soul,
Till, land-locked by the cliffs of Time, they caught
The silent gleam of Truth's unchanging stars,
And felt the universal ocean roll,
Muffled and vast, on Life's dissolving bars!