I stood on the deck of the ferry-boat,
As the summer evening deepened to night,
Where the tides of the river ran darkling past
Through lengthening pillars of crinkled light.
The wind blew over the land and the waves
With its salt sea breath and a spicy balm,
And it seemed to cool my throbbing brain
And lend my spirit its gusty calm.
The forest of masts, the dark-hulled ships,
The twinkling lights, and the sea of men,—