The Two Ships

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As I stand by the cross on the lone mountain's crest,
  Looking over the ultimate sea,
In the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest,
  And one sails away from the lea:
One spreads its white wings on a far-reaching track,
  With pennant and sheet flowing free;
One hides in the shadow with sails laid aback,--
  The ship that is waiting for me!

But lo! in the distance the clouds break away,
  The Gate's glowing portals I see;
And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay
  The song of the sailors in glee.
So I think of the luminous footprints that bore
  The comfort o'er dark Galilee,
And wait for the signal to go to the shore,
  To the ship that is waiting for me.

© Francis Bret Harte