Thomas R. Lounsbury, ed. (1838–1915). Yale Book of American Verse. 1912.
(Lied: Ins Stille Land)Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807–1882
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow57 Song of the Silent Land
I
Ah! who shall lead us thither?
Clouds in the evening sky more darkly gather,
And shattered wrecks lie thicker on the strand.
Who leads us with a gentle hand
Thither, oh, thither,
Into the Silent Land?
To you, ye boundless regions Of all perfection! Tender morning-visions Of beauteous souls! The Future’s pledge and band! Who in Life’s battle firm doth stand, Shall bear Hope’s tender blossoms Into the Silent Land! For all the broken-hearted The mildest herald by our fate allotted, Beckons, and with inverted torch doth stand To lead us with a gentle hand To the land of the great Departed, Into the Silent Land!