Page:Poems Rice.djvu/87

Stand firm, my boy, with all thy noble daring;
 Gaze not aloft to see the bending mast;
But trust in Him, the great, the ever-caring;
 He'll help thee safely to outride the blast.

And time seems but a dream since thou wert given,
 A dimpled babe, pure from thy Maker's hand;
Ah! now I trust in the decree of Heaven
 To guard the same the water as the land.
Never again, O, never may I wander
 Near thy pillow for the good-night kiss—
There are themes I do not dare to ponder;
 One of the tenderest, I'm sure, is this.

Queenly ship! how many thou art holding,
 Round whom the tendrils of affection cling;
How many throbbing hearts are now enfolding
 The loved thou bearest, thou stately thing!
Changed the happy homes which rang with gladness,
 When children played around their father's knee;
Upon their brows there rests a look of sadness,
 Tinged with the same are all their songs of glee.

Now, farewell to this unfinished story;
 Farewell, sweet dreams of happy days by-gone;
Sail, fair ship, in all your pride and glory,
 A wreath is waiting when the voyage is done.
Affection's wreath shall ever be unbroken;
 While life remains, we'll keep it fresh for thee:
The deepest thought, alas, remains unspoken,
 For those who wander on the dark blue sea.