Page:Poems Hornblower.djvu/206

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194

EVENING.
Oh Evening! in thy light, subdued and pale,
I love to wander forth, when the cold breeze
Upon the night-cloud flees,
And deep thy shades prevail;
When all is hushed, and nature seems to share
With human hearts the universal prayer.

I love to meditate, as on thy sky
Sits the blest empress of the silent night,
On realms more pure and bright,
And raise my mournful eye
From earth and grief, and the dark ills of time,
To heavenlier scenes, and visions more sublime.

And, as the million rays of worlds of bliss
Rise up in the dun void, and seem to say,
A Father's hand upon our way
Hath launched us through the dark abyss,
Awed by their silent glory, swift I turn
From hopes and fears of earth, and holier feelings burn.