Alone upon the hill I stand, And gaze upon the ocean wide; In silence feels the magic hand Of the wild waves that ebb and glide. The morning mist upon my face Brings dew from sea and shore to land, In tranquil waves of time embrace I feel the world’s encroaching hand. Yet in this stillness, here abide, The oaken tree, the azure sky; While tides of change may clash and chide, My heart shall ever know the why.

• Sarah Orne Jewett