Crescent Beach

O Crescent Beach! That day shall beA treasured one in memory,That lured me from my distant home,Upon thy lovely shores to roam;

To linger, with enraptured glanceO'er ocean 's limitless expanse,Half-wishing that, before my eyes,Fair Aphrodite might arise,

Or, from their hidden, watery cellsIn myriad rainbow-colored shells,Nereides, with dripping locks,Might grace the rough, Neptunian rocks,

Defying, in their revelry,That ancient monarch of the sea,Whose trident marks his lordly reignO'er every creature of the main.

I watched the countless-dimpled smileIlluminate thy waters, whileThe wish, unconscious, half-expressed,That I might find therein sweet rest.

I'd just as soon, beneath the waveReturn my life to Him who gave,Or let my bones forever bleachUpon the sands of Crescent Beach.

Throughout the years, each breaking waveShould be a tear-drop o'er my grave,And every scintillating gemUnite to sing my requiem.

Of Him who taught beside the seaOf ever-blessed Galilee,His true disciples meet to teachBeside the waves at Crescent Beach.

Resounding voices on the shoreCommingle with the ocean's roar,And wonderful sweet harmoniesAre caught by every passing breeze.

The fragrant, flower-besprinkled sodRe-echoes prayer and praise to God;And Crescent Beach, in beauty crowned,Becomes enchanted, hallowed ground.

They who the Saviour's name revereShall here unite from year to year,Till o'er our land the fame shall reachOf Christians met at Crescent Beach.