 | The Poems of Mackenzie Bell |  |
I.
At daybreak on a lonely seaStrange is the silence; heavily
The louring clouds loom dim and dun,
Till comes at length the far-off sun;
Strange is the silence of the day
Where waves are hushed in some fair bay;
Strange is the silence,—awesome, deep,
At nightfall in an ancient keep;
Strange is the silence that ofttimes
Broods o'er the city's shame and crimes;
Strange is the silence of the night
Where throned in space the stars give light;
Strange is the silence of the room
Where lingering sickness hangs in gloom;
Strange is the silence after death
Where anguished sound departs with breath;
But stranger is the silence when
The moans are stilled of wounded men,
Where stilled an instant are the cries
That from wild scenes of strife arise
As noise of rapid volleys cease,—
As God grants here and there release,—
As suddenly the senses yield
To silence on the battle-field.
| The Poems of Mackenzie Bell | |