 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
537
At Sea
Frail woman there and childhood's tender yearsEndure the hardships of the seaman's life;
Yielding at times, unto their natural fears,
While gazing on the ocean's fearful strife;
How strange on the wide ocean thus to be!
Where naught is seen around but sea and skies;
Shall they again the shore in safety see,
They ask? and westward gaze with longing eyes.
The gorgeous clouds at sunset mock their sight
With mountains, valleys, forests, harbors near;
But, as they fade away, with fading light,
Their high-raised hopes as often disappear;
And farther e'en than ever seems the land,
Which but an hour before, looked close at hand.
Poem No. 137; c. 1878–80
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