Becalmed

Shortly after Mr. Longfellow’s death, the collection entitled In the Harbor, Ultima Thule, Part II., was published, bearing upon the title-page for a motto the final stanza in the dedicatory poem which introduces Ultima Thule.

BECALMED upon the sea of Thought,

Still unattained the land it sought,

My mind, with loosely-hanging sails,

Lies waiting the auspicious gales.

On either side, behind, before,

The ocean stretches like a floor,—

A level floor of amethyst,

Crowned by a golden dome of mist.

Blow, breath of inspiration, blow!

Shake and uplift this golden glow!

And fill the canvas of the mind

With wafts of thy celestial wind.

Blow, breath of song! until I feel

The straining sail, the lifting keel,

The life of the awakening sea,

Its motion and its mystery!

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