Poems (Hoffman)/The Deep of Despair and the Haven of Happiness

by Martha Lavinia Hoffman

THE DEEP OF DESPAIR AND THE HAVEN OF HAPPINESS

Like a vision it gleamed through the darkness
And flashed on my wondering view,
And at first, not the half of its beauty
Nor the depth of its meaning, I knew;
'Till as a fair painting in shadows
Grows clearer when daylight has dawned,
A radiance illumined its dimness
As if touched by some magical wand.

The scene was a tempest-tossed ocean,
Frightfully dismal and dark,
But soon on the waves, I saw tossing
The form of a frail little barque;
And nearer and nearer it floated
'Till plain to my view it had grown,
And I saw in it, weary and helpless,
A woman sat weeping alone.

Then an angel came down from the heavens
And poised her light wings on the air,
While she gazed on the waves' inky blackness
And the dense, heavy clouds of Despair,
And the tempest grew louder and louder
And the breakers dashed higher; until
She breathed on the turbulent waters
And the voice of their murmuring was still.

And the woman aroused by the calmness
From the depths of her sorrow awoke
And lifting her eyes, saw the angel,
And thus in soft accents she spoke:
"O angel! bright angel! my life barque
Has long sailed on this dreary sea,
I have long sought a harbor of refuge
But no morning shall dawn upon me.

For oh! I have left them behind me
The harbors I once hoped to gain
I shall never return, but float onward
'Till I sink in the fathomless main.
Once I sailed on a sea of rare beauty
Where no cold, piercing wind ever blew,
Where the warm sunbeams kissed the blue wavelets
And the storm-clouds were transient and few;

But I longed at some harbor to anchor
And float no more on the swift tide,
To find some bright haven of pleasure
And there in contentment abide.
And many I passed on my journey,
And they looked like the Eden of old;
But not for me could they blossom
Or their marvelous wonders unfold;

And I've given up, long ago, hoping
For a beautiful sylvan retreat
With the pearls of affection 'round me strewn
And the roses of bliss at my feet;
For the contrary winds of trouble
Have borne my barque far away
From the sea, Hope's beautiful, sunlit sea,
Where the shores of happiness lay."

She paused, and the angel answered,
In a voice so silvery clear:
"O woman! listen to what I say
And wreck not thy life barque here,
For out on this ocean of darkness
Beneath the storm-king's frown,
I have watched with emotions of horror
Millions of ships go down.

For they trusted not in the light-house
Nor believed in another shore
Where all tempest-tossed, their barques might land
So they sank to rise no more
Despond not, O woman! look beyond
On the wave a gleam is shed
From the light-house whose beams flood with glory
A haven that lieth ahead."

She looked where the angel pointed
And a radiance lit up her face
And she said: "O beautiful angel,
Where is that happy place?"
"Come with me," spake the angel,
"Fear not the dashing spray
Follow the gleam from the light-house
It cannot be far away;

And if through the light and shadow
Onward, right onward you steer,
Soon bathed in a sunlight of glory
The haven of rest will appear.
Onward to join in its music,
Onward its glories to share;
I was sent from that beautiful refuge,
Was sent to guide thee, there."

And calm on the breast of the billows
Through the shades of the twilight gray,
I watched with unwavering interest
The little barque glide away;
As mingled with murmuring of waters
The voice of the shining one, said:
"O, trust in the strong, faithful light-house
For the haven that lieth ahead!"