Zinzendorff and Other Poems/Sailor's Hymn
SAILOR'S HYMN.
"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord."—Psalm cxxx.
The tempest beat against my bark,
The wrathful winds were high,
And threatening blasts, like couriers brought
Dark tidings from the sky;
And hoarsely o'er my sinking head
Roll'd on the thundering sea,
Then, from the regions of the dead,
Oh Lord! I cried to thee.
The faithless Sun, behind the cloud
Withdrew his guiding light,
And every star its lamp withheld
From that portentous night.
They fled, and left me all alone
In darkness, and in fear,
And so I told my woes to God,
And He vouchsafed to hear.
Yes, from the lowest depths, to Him
I rais'd a fervent cry,
Why should a helpless worm despair,
When such a friend is nigh?