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.
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.
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.
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.
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.