| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 1128. A Cry from the Shore |
| | | By Ellen Mackay Hutchinson Cortissoz |
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| COME down, ye graybeard mariners, | |
| Unto the wasting shore! | |
| The morning winds are up,—the gods | |
| Bid me to dream no more. | |
| Come tell me whither I must sail, | 5 |
| What peril there may be, | |
| Before I take my life in hand | |
| And venture out to sea! | |
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| “We may not tell thee where to sail, | |
| Nor what the dangers are; | 10 |
| Each sailor soundeth for himself, | |
| Each hath a separate star: | |
| Each sailor soundeth for himself, | |
| And on the awful sea | |
| What we have learned is ours alone; | 15 |
| We may not tell it thee.” | |
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| Come back, O ghostly mariners, | |
| Ye who have gone before! | |
| I dread the dark, impetuous tides; | |
| I dread the farther shore. | 20 |
| Tell me the secret of the waves; | |
| Say what my fate shall be,— | |
| Quick! for the mighty winds are up, | |
| And will not wait for me. | |
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| “Hail and farewell, O voyager! | 25 |
| Thyself must read the waves; | |
| What we have learned of sun and storm | |
| Lies with us in our graves: | |
| What we have learned of sun and storm | |
| Is ours alone to know. | 30 |
| The winds are blowing out to sea, | |
| Take up thy life and go!” | |
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