The Sea A vast heart swells beneath the stars,

Beating against the shores of night,

Its voice a murmuring echo of oldest tales,

Turning to face dawn’s soft, eager light.

Waves crest and chorus with rhythm and rhyme,

As the moon lingers low, hypnotized,

Reflecting light in dappled drops,

Each promise a pearl, deep inside.

Look how the horizon bathes in blue,

A land full of gods that dance and play—

In every shadow, in every thrust,

The sea remembers love each day.

• John Gould Fletcher