FOR some abiding central source of power, br Strong-smitten steady chords, ye seem to flow br And, flowing, carry virtue. Far below, br The vain tumultuous passions of the hour br Fleet fast and disappear; and as the sun br Shines on the wake of tempests, there is cast br O'er all the shattered ruins of my past br A strong contentment as of battles won. br br And yet I cry in anguish, as I hear br The long drawn pageant of your passage roll br Magnificently forth into the night. br To yon fair land ye come from, to yon sphere br Of strength and love where now ye shape your flight, br O even wings of music, bear my soul! br br Ye have the power, if but ye had the will, br Strong-smitten steady chords in sequence grand, br To bear me forth into that tranquil land br Where good is no more ravelled up with ill; br Where she and I, remote upon some hill br Or by some quiet river's windless strand, br May live, and love, and wander hand in hand, br And follow nature simply, and be still.