The waves of longing, mad desire, and strife,
Whose undertone of sorrowfullest dole
Is the sad voicing of the sea called Life.
A type and yet unlike—there is a shore
Where the wild sea forgets the tempest’s breath,
And rests in lullful silence evermore
Upon the wide, white, shining strand of death.
O perfect peace! O blessed mystery!
Where waves of longing cease their gainless quest,
And on the still sands of eternity