Verses (Baughan)/Barbara
BARBARA
I
I SAW three ships go sailing,
And two I’ve seen come back;
A ship of war, and a merchant ship,—
And the third was a fisher-smack.
The first is back with glory,
The next with treasure stor’d.—
But the little smack, she’ll ne’er be back,
That had my love aboard.
II
Seven riding-lights but now;
Now, only three.
And still creeps the sheeted fog
Across the numb sea.
A night’s fog for the fisher-boats,
A night’s fog for the sea—
Night on night, day on day
A life’s fog for me.
III
North I turn, but never his face I find;
South,—but it is not there!
Night cannot lull my sorrow asleep, nor dawn
Awaken my despair.
But, oft-times, twixt the rim of the dying day,
And the rim of the darkening sea,
Hope spies the pearly gleam of that far-off Sail,
Will give him back to me!