Newspapers / The Pinehurst Outlook (Pinehurst, … / April 22, 1898, edition 1 / Page 1
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weFtotosfiyinD flfV. II ft 1 mm VOL. I., NO. 28. PINEHURST, N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1898. PRICE THREE CENTS. THE VOYAGE OF LIFE. MY DREAM. An Allegory. HV IIKNKY H. CAUKINGTOX, I. ( Cojifriyht lieserretl.) I. I'KKLL'DK. On open sea, beyond the sunset hour, Willi oars In rent, beguiling time with hope, That currents gracious would bear me safely While I reposed in idleness profound, Unmindful that the swiftly gathering clouds Obscured the sky, forgetful of the lamp Once placed secure within my sheltering robe, To light my way, and cheer my journey on To mansions of enduring bliss, I drifted, passively, upon the waters. on Had merged in one great sigh, the ready shore To reach, and thus some easy way to find, And lead me on to Mansions of the Blest. V My skiff had stranded. The sea was frenzied In its leaps and bounds. No smooth congenial strand its pathway gave Where I in fancy traced a highway clear; Hut one vast range of adamantine clitf The sea hurled back which smote against its face And made the trembling voice of earth declare "Xo son of earth shall safely venture there." VI. I took my long neglected lamp in hand, And by its feeble glimmer saw, at once, That out, beyond the war of wave and land, The sea was peaceful, still, and undisturbed, And that prompt effort of my heart and hand, I. Far on before, outstretched the open sea, While o'er its farthest bound there brightly gleamed, A canopy of light, thereby to mark the goal Of all desire, the Mansions of the Blest: While I, too prone to seek from daily duty, rest, Did drift upon the waters, silently. II. Some muttering thunders, in the distance far, Gave note of trials unrevealed, in store, I'nless I nerved my soul to effort great, Their threatening ills to face and conquer; And deepening shadows warned me well, If rendered while the daylight lingered by, Mad quickly sped my destined journey through To promised Mansions of perpetual Hliss. VII. Far as the utmost reach ef straining sight The towering cliff, in majesty arose Beyond the skill of mortal art to climb, ( )r wing of boldest bird to over reach, While fitful eddies of tempestuous waves Commingled flitting spray and pounding surf- Tearing huge crests from mountain billows vast To hurl them fiercely, as in maddened rage, Against the solid mass that sent them, shivered Hack to waves, and to the waiting sea, again. That drifting only, upon a placid sea, Was not to bear me onward by the way Which reached the promised Mansions of the Blest, III. My voice broke forth in loud and hot complaint That ceaseless struggle marked the certain fate Of all who ever made that journey safe And in the willful passion of my soul, I cried for solid earth to stand upon, Without the toils and perils of the sea: And as I keenly searched the thickening air, 1 thought I caught some glimpse of kindly shore, Which, close at hand, stretched out its length be yond, To lead, by easy, even course, direct, Where shimmered still the burnished clouds of gold That over-capped, in distance far away, Those glorious Mansions of enduring Bliss. IV. My lamp, neglected in my heedless course, Had near gone out its value counted naught, As In my zeal, the longings of my soul VIII. That passive cliff, so grand and so repulsive, Stretched out its course as did the mighty sea, Beyond the range of mortal sight to grasp, And at its base an endless windrow formed Of maddened, fragmentary waters; And these, -as soon as formed, new shapes as sumed, Coiling and writhing in impassioned strife Like some constricting monster of the deep With venom charged, on ruin only bent, Defying heaven and earth to work its will, And barmy path along an even strand, To far-off Mansions of enduring Bliss. IX. I raised my lamp again, once more to look Upon the waste beyond the surging mass, And still, that outer realm was peaceful : And as 1 held the lamp aloft, I saw That should I launch as some great wave with drew, My rescue were at hand and pathway gained, My voyage to renew, with hope assured To reach, at last, the Mansions of the Blest. X. My lamp was quickly closed poor fool to think That by the random glow of distant stars Which cast their vagrant rays through rifted clouds, I might spring forth upon returning waves, And find, by action bold, a quick deliverance; And yet, with rash conceit, each nerve on strain, I launched my skiff, and plied obedient oars, Intent alone to leave the once sought shore. XI. My ill timed venture met a mighty sea, And just as mounting spray and compact clouds Enveloped all around in gloom profound Grasped in the strong embrace of rushing waves Lifted upon their crest, their sport their toy, I fell upon the shore in mute despair, Hopeless of relief, my courage vanquished, Yet still too proud the grievous fault to own, Which through my guilty confidence had changed My means of safety sure, to failure dire. XII. Weary and faint, I lay as in a trance, With memories Hitting through my aching brain, Of days gone by of childhood's happy hours Of counsels sweet, and eludings not a few, Of willful acts of wrong, or indolence In duty well enjoined, and warnings too, That life must ever have within itself Intent alone to watch with patient care The ebb of some sufficient messenger To float my waiting craft and bear me off, My voyage to renew, with better hope: Firm in the purpose I had calmly formed, To know no other source of strength and light But speed where 'ere my lamp the brightest gleamed, I watched the beams which shot across the waves, Submissive to obey. My guiding oar Was trained to press against the solid cliff, And thus the quicker, to surrender all To care of llrst sufllcient sea that came. XVII. One mighty swejl advanced In solid mass, Smooth as glassy surface, brightly gleaming, Its front unbroken by the wonted crests Of boiling foam and lashing breakers. Self-balanced, waiting for the strange encounter, I felt the lifting wave, forcing at first My fragile bark against the solid cllll ; But quicker than the thought, I used my oar And met the inviting wave, with glad surrender. XV111. Again upon the open sea, not drifting now, Nor plying oar, but sitting at the helm With sail outstretched, to catch each fav'ring breeze Some better force than tickle nature gives, And that the lamp, entrusted to my care, Was meant for service in the hour of need, And answered service as I kept it bright, And stronger grew, to help, as need increased. XIII. In half despair, 'mid darkness deepening fast, Now fearful lest no spark of lire remained, I drew it forth, in wonder to behold Its flashing beams, flashing as ne'er before. The clitf shone forth in cold and stern relief, Impassable, as 'twere a gulf in height A thousand fathoms ere lost in clouds; And still, more furious than before, the surf Tossed up its feathered syray and lashed the shore In wild remonstrance "that a single step were death" And "madness onlv could possess the brain Of him who sought to make the ragged shore A pathway to the Mansions of the Blest." XIV. I brushed the gathered moisture from my lamp, With grateful sense, not realized before, That to its kindly oflices and light Mv life was due, and still more clearly due An avenue to safety sure, complete; But that mv rash, imperious will alone Her light refused, her kindly guidance spurned. XV. With springing bound to the foremost line Of gleaming sand receding wave disclosed, I swung mv lamp aloft and sent its glow Abroad, in time to catch an instant view Of placid sea in which the waves were 6pent; And quick as thus I saw revealed the cause Of failure of my llrst attempt to launch My skiff and gain a sure deliverance, I caught the craft and stood, with patient hold, To wait and watch the hour for fresh endeavor. XVI. 1 lost all thought of cliff and sea lashed shore, I bear my course direct to lifting shore Whose heights are over-arched with glory bright. Those early drif tings, my bark had backward borne, While I, supine, the fond conceit indulged That, be the current as it might, the end Could have no other issue than the best, To rest at last, in Mansions of the Blest. XIX. My lamp, so faithful in the hour of need Is blight as air, Imt needs no trimming more; For now, as near celestial II res do glow To feed it with their own celestial flan e, That all is brightness, all is fraught with cheer: The end of pain and toil Is drawing near; The sky is cloudless; the moon and gleaming stars Are paled in presence of supernal light; The air is fraught with odors, measureless In their refreshment, so benign and pure; Melodies are borne by every pulse of sound, Until each sense is ravished by the spell Of some divine, supreme enchantment, XX. The waiting shore reveals the blessed throng Of those who earlier reached the promised goal By earlier sense of duty to be done; Yet none repulse, or doubt my claim to land, Until a bright-robed messenger demands Asa passport through the opening gate, "Thy Lamp." And then, as never once before I knew the gracious gift to me vouchsafed, When starting on my voyage long, this lamp, Entrusted to my rare, was pledged to be My Light, my guide, and my deliverer, Until, the journey done, its gleam should blend With universal brightness of the Throne Which rules supreme o'er Mansions of the Hlest. (Vviicluited on I'aye Two.)
The Pinehurst Outlook (Pinehurst, N.C.)
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April 22, 1898, edition 1
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