When I Sail Away

When I Sail Away Sometime at eve when the tide is low, I shall slip my mooring and sail away, With no response to the friendly hail Of kindred craft in busy bay. In the silent hush of the twilight pale When the night stoops down to embrace the day And the voices call in the water’s flow… Sometime at eve when the tide is low I shall slip my mooring and sail away. Through the purpling shadows that darkly trail O’er the ebbing tide of the Unknown Sea, I shall fare me away, with a dip of the sail And ripple of waters to tell the tale Of a lonely voyager, sailing away To the Mystic Isles where at anchor lay The crafts of those who have sailed before O’er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore. A few who have watched me sail away, Will miss my craft from the busy bay; Some friendly barks that were anchored near, Some loving souls that my heart held dear, In silent sorrow will drop a tear- But I shall have peacefully furled my sail In moorings sheltered from storm or gale, And greeted the friends who have sailed before, O’er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore. By Elizabeth Clark Hardy