Behind me purplish lines marked out the town,
Before me stretched the noble Roadstead's tide:
And there I saw the Evening sun go down
Casting a parting glory far and wide -
As King who for the cowl puts off his crown -
So went the sun: and left a wealth of light
Ere hidden by the cloister-gates of Night.
Beholding this my soul was stilled in prayer,
I understood how all men, save the blind,
Might find religion in a scene so fair
And formulate a creed within the mind; -
See prophesies in clouds; fates in the air;
The skies flamed red; the murm'ring waves were hushed -
"The conscious water saw its God and blushed."