256 THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET. 



Seedtime and harvest, and the winter cold, 

 That He who made the sea and the round world, 

 And all that dwell therein, rules over us, — 

 Life will be sweet indeed, from first to last.' " 



Only one more short extract can here be given, and 

 that from " When the Sea grew White," which the 

 Quaker poet, John G. Whittier, complimented as a 

 spirited lyric — 



" The harbor lights and Great Point's eye 

 "With friendly glance gleamed steadily; 

 And ever the bell-buoy rose and fell, 

 With the lazy dip of the ocean swell. 

 From the blazing vines and scarlet heath, 

 Where mild October twines her wreath, 

 Came the breath of pine boughs, autumn's tide 

 Of trailing glories, — Nantucket's pride. 



11 But something I saw, that crossed the moon, 

 Seemed an omen of storm which would startle me soon; 

 For afar in his northern lair there lay 

 A monster cloud, like a fiend at bay! 

 But why did I dread, as never before, 

 The sound of the waves on the sullen shore? 

 I cannot tell. But I heard, alone, 

 The voice of a wrath I dared not own! 

 And at morning's dawn I saw the sky 

 Look out with a wild and threatening eye. 

 Over the harbor bar the spray 

 Blinded the mariner all that day; 

 And the rain came on, like the liood of old, 

 With the desolate moan of a wintry wold. 

 The roofs and towers of the ancient town 

 Grew black with the dark mist swooping down. 

 All day it surged, like a tidal wave; 

 And the hearts of the people, so true and brave, 

 Beat quick with fear. Down came the night, 

 With never a star, and the sea was white! " 



