You say a burst of joy you hear? Why, yes,
The song is wondrous sweet - and yet
The singer's pain, I think we ne'er forget
E'en when the music flows in glad excess.
And now, you say, a note of deep distress?
But while we list and while our eyes are wet,
And while we hear despair, dismay, regret,
Untrammeled hope arises still to bless.
Anguish and misery must pass away,
And yet their scars upon the heart remain.
The wind-tossed skiff returns to port again
And nestles safely in the peaceful bay;
But as the voyager prays with grateful tears
The sea still murmurs threatenings in his ears.