Gray Sails

(To John Lane) 

What do you look for, 'twixt dusk and gloaming, 
White sails going or gray sails homing? 

Sunset turns white sails red in the bay, 
Gloaming finds not the sails of gray. 

Patched and rotten the gray sails were, 
White sails gleam in the sunset air. 

Under the white sails hearts are gay, 
Sorrow sailed with the sails of gray. 

Sorrow for pilot and skipper Sin — 
What if the gray sails never came in. 

Peril of ship and soul might be — 
What if they sailed to a quiet sea? 

Safe from danger of rock and blast — 
Where sails of gray might be furled at last? 

The red wind out of the East blows on 
O'er white sails going and gray sails gone — 

Somewhere or other the red wind sees 
Quiet harbours where ride at ease 

Ships that were stormbound far away, 
Ships with white sails and ships with gray. 

Hush your keen in the windy gloaming, 
In that good harbour gray sails are homing.