The writings of John Greenleaf Whittier, Volume 1.
John Greenleaf Whittier, Ed.

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[91] Not untrue that tale of old!
     Now, as then, the wise and bold
All the powers of Nature hold
     Subject to their kingly will;
From the wondering crowds ashore,
     Treading life's wild waters o'er,
As upon a marble floor,
     Moves the strong man still.

Still, to such, life's elements
     With their sterner laws dispense,
And the chain of consequence
     Broken in their pathway lies;
Time and change their vassals making,
     Flowers from icy pillows waking,
Tresses of the sunrise shaking
     Over midnight skies.

Still, to th' earnest soul, the sun
     Rests on towered Gibeon,
And the moon of Ajalon
     Lights the battle-grounds of life;
To his aid the strong reverses
     Hidden powers and giant forces,
And the high stars, in their courses,
     Mingle in his strife!