Destroyers and Other Verses/No Longer, When the Cold and Sterile Moon
No longer, when the cold and sterile moon
Paces her virgin watch across the sky,
Calling the hours of life’s long afternoon,
Must I from out of deep in answer cry.
With rhythmic tides she swept the fore-shoreland,
Whereon I often set my heart’s desire,
Leaving a barren strip of watery sand,
A mirror for the moon’s chaste silver fire.
For I have built a barrier ‘gainst the sea:
No more the moon-swept tide my fruit devours;
The seed is set, and in security,
I watch the silent passage of life’s hours.
May the sea-wall till harvest time abide,
Steadfast against the ever restless tide.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1940, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 83 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse