THE SHIMMER OF THE SOUND

In the long shimmer of the Sound

May I some day be laughing found,

Part of its restless to and fro,

A humble worker of the tides

That round the sleepless planet flow,

And in the rock and drift of things —

( O how the sea-weed sways and swings!

Is it her hair — has she been found

In the long shimmer of the Sound! )

Do some small task I do not know —

O maybe help the mussel grow,

Or tint the shell-imprisoned pearl —

A mute companion of the waves

That toss within their moonlit graves —

Is it a king, or but a girl?

And, all the while, she sings and sings,

And waves her wild white hands with glee,

Mysterious sister of the world,

That singing water called the sea.

( O tell me was this sea-weed found

In the long shimmer of the Sound! )