"His Star"

His Star

The ship swings out; the Captain stands
        Straight and strong in his place;
There are glorious things to leave behind,
        More glorious ones to face;
His cheek is pale, his brow is calm,
        His lips are close and stern;
And in his eyes, like beacon lights,
        The fires of Courage burn.

"Now Captain, steer thou carefully—
        Brave heart and steady hand;
Charybdis sly and Scylla bleak,
        Luring and threatening stand!"
But answer makes he none; his hold
        Is firm upon the helm,
And not a sea that rocks the world
        That noble ship could whelm.

"Captain, beware the rocks! Beware!
        Steer for the open more!" . . .
"Nay, Captain, fierce the gale outside!
        Run closer to the shore!"
Still, still they cry; he answers not;
        Heavy and dark the night;
But lo! within the troubled East
        A star is rising bright.

"Captain, I know the course! Trust me," 
        One pilot makes appeal;
"Nay, nay," another boldly cries,
        "Captain, give me the wheel!"
The Captain neither heeds nor hears,
        His gaze is set afar,
As bravely, calmly, dauntlessly,
        He follows one white star.



"His Star" as it appears in Ella Higginson's The Voice of April-Land and Other Poems (1903).

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