Poems (Ford)/The Silent River

​
THE SILENT RIVER.
Oh, dark and sullen wave of Time, Forever onward flowing,Like seaweed on thy breast we drift, Nor heed where thou art going;Like bubbles on a summer stream Our lives glide onward ever,And float at last down to the past Upon the silent river.
Though dark clouds gather round our way, We must not stop to sorrow;The sun that hides his face to-day May brightly shine to-morrow;And should he not, life's storm and cloud Will vanish soon forever,And peace and rest be found at last Beyond Time's rapid river.
The gilded toys that now we prize, Like Autumn leaves will scatter,And from our sight will fade at last Like sunshine from the water; ​But steadfast faith and noble deeds Will shine around us ever,Like guiding-stars, to lead us home Across the silent river.
No gilded bubbles must we chase, No dreams of fleeting pleasure,But steadily bear down life's stream A freight of fadeless treasure;And when upon its twilight waves Life's last faint sunbeams quiver,Launched on Eternity's broad sea, We'll leave that silent river.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.