Page:A Treasury of South African Poetry.djvu/265

 TO THE SEA. O! wild, tempestuous ocean,
 * Well communes my heart with thee,

In the ever-ceaseless motion,
 * In the changing hues I see:

How I love thee,
 * Emblem of the soul to me:

In thy restless, anxious tossing,
 * In thy struggles to be free,

Doth my spirit, vext with crossing,
 * Boundless ocean, beat with thee;

Ever varying,
 * How our fitful moods agree:

Dashing o'er the rocks opposing,
 * Lashing with thy wave the shore;

Now in gentle calm reposing,
 * Now convulsed with anger o'er;

How I love thee,
 * Nearer, dearer than before.

Now I know the ebb and flowing,
 * Sunny morn and low'ring eve;

Know the coming and the going,
 * How to joy, and how to grieve:

In my knowing,
 * Ocean, thou too canst believe.