United

Our single lives are circled roundBy an embracing sea;Are joined to all that has been, boundTo all that is to be:The past and future meet and cross,And in life's ocean is no loss.

The music of the summer dawn,The silence of the midnight sky,The stars, in azure deeps withdrawn,Reveal a single mystery:And blent with these, the whisperingsOf spirit find each shy retreat,And link the soul with viewless things,In union close and sweet.

Failure itself may count as gainIn aspiration; paved with fireMay be the path that leads from pain;And unfulfilled desireMay kindle that pure flame aboveWhose earthly name is love!