Sea-Shore Musings.

How oft I've longed to gaze on thee,         Thou proud and mighty deep!     Thy vast horizon, boundless, free,         Thy coast so rude and steep;     And now entranced I breathless stand,         Where earth and ocean meet,     Whilst billows wash the golden sand,         And break around my feet.     Lovely thou art when dawn's red light         Sheds o'er thee its soft hue,     Showing fair ships, a gallant sight,         Upon thy waters blue;     And when the moonbeams softly pour         Their light on wave or glen,     And diamond spray leaps on the shore,         How lovely art thou then!     Still, as I look, faint shadows steal         O'er thy calm heaving breast,     And there are times, I sadly feel,         Thou art not thus at rest;     And I bethink me of past tales,         Of ships that left the shore,     And meeting with thy fearful gales,         Have ne'er been heard of more.     They say thy depths hold treasures rare,         Groves coral - sands of gold -     Pearls fitted for a monarch's wear         And gems of worth untold;     But these could not to life restore         The idol of one home,     Nor make brave hearts beat high once more         That sleep beneath thy foam.     But I must chase such thoughts away,         They mar this happy hour,     Remembering thou dost but obey         Thy Great Creator's, power;     And in my own fair inland home,         Mysterious, moaning main,     In dreams I'll see thy snow-white foam         And frowning rocks again.