Sunrise Along Shore -- Lucy Maud Montgomery

(Poem #1105) Sunrise Along Shore Athwart the harbor lingers yet The ashen gleam of breaking day, And where the guardian cliffs are set The noiseless shadows steal away; But all the winnowed eastern sky Is flushed with many a tender hue, And spears of light are smiting through The ranks where huddled sea-mists fly. Across the ocean, wan and gray, Gay fleets of golden ripples come, For at the birth-hour of the day The roistering, wayward winds are dumb. The rocks that stretch to meet the tide Are smitten with a ruddy glow, And faint reflections come and go Where fishing boats at anchor ride. All life leaps out to greet the light -- The shining sea-gulls dive and soar, The swallows whirl in dizzy flight, And sandpeeps flit along the shore. From every purple landward hill The banners of the morning fly, But on the headlands, dim and high, The fishing hamlets slumber still. One boat alone beyond the bar Is sailing outward blithe and free, To carry sturdy hearts afar Across those wastes of sparkling sea; Staunchly to seek what may be won From out the treasures of the deep, To toil for those at home who sleep And be the first to greet the sun. -- Lucy Maud Montgomery

I occassionally enjoy these quiet little picture poems, that do nothing more
than describe a scene, and do so unsurprisingly but well. Today's is a
trifle over-adjectived, but charming enough; I think what tipped the balance
for me was the last line, with its utterly senseless act of beauty placed on
an equal footing with seeking the treasures of the deep and toiling for
those at home.

It doesn't hurt, too, that for sheer natural beauty dawn is my favourite
time of day - it lent that little extra to the poem's images that made all
the difference.

martin

Links:
  Biography:
    http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/authors/montlm.html#notes

  A couple of beautiful dawn poems:
    Poem #113, Poem #609