The strong shore is my beloved
And I am his sweetheart.
We are at last united by love, and
Then the moon draws me from him.
I go to him in haste and depart
Reluctantly, with many
Little farewells.
I steal swiftly from behind the
Blue horizon to cast the silver of
My foam upon the gold of his sand, and
We blend in melted brilliance.
I quench his thirst and submerge his
Heart; he softens my voice and subdues
My temper.
At dawn I recite the rules of love upon
His ears, and he embraces me longingly.
At eventide I sing to him the song of
Hope, and then print smooth kisses upon
His face; I am swift and fearful, but he
Is quiet, patient, and thoughtful. His
Broad bosom soothes my restlessness.
As the tide comes we caress each other,
When it withdraws, I drop to his feet in
Prayer.
Many times have I danced around mermaids
As they rose from the depths and rested
Upon my crest to watch the stars;
Many times have I heard lovers complain
Of their smallness, and I helped them to sigh.
Many times have I teased the great rocks
And fondled them with a smile, but never
Have I received laughter from them;
Many times have I lifted drowning souls
And carried them tenderly to my beloved
Shore. He gives them strength as he
Takes mine.
Many times have I stolen gems from the
Depths and presented them to my beloved
Shore. He takes them in silence, but still
I give for he welcomes me ever.
In the heaviness of night, when all
Creatures seek the ghost of Slumber, I
Sit up, singing at one time and sighing
At another. I am awake always.
Alas! Sleeplessness has weakened me!
But I am a lover, and the truth of love
Is strong.
I may be weary, but I shall never die.
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Comments
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Poem of a woman's love for her Beloved
From guest susan (contact)
This poem is about the ageless love of a woman for the man who is her one, true love. From creation, they were made for each other in the most beautiful way. She finds him, loves him, parts from him... only to re-unite with her Beloved once again so naturally life after life after life. Such devotion is Divine. -
analysis
From guest reem (contact)
how a nice, lovely poem!
may somebody provide me with an analysis of this poem, I need it. my teacher asked us
Thaaanks
MOD MESSAGE
Sorry but your teacher wants YOU to do the homework. You could try reading the poem notes, and other comments as well as the authors notes. -
Thanks for picking up the typo in 'Song of the Wave XVII'
by Khalil Gibran - so much appreciated.
Von
Oldpoetry Team -
Correction:
"At eventide I sing to him the song of
Hope, and then print smooth hisses upon ..."
It is "kisses" not "hisses"...
Checked it in my book-
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a beautiful poem. mystical, and full of imagry, it portrays the relationship between the sea and the shore as the communion between lovers. the speaker is the sea.
'At eventide I sing to him the song of
Hope, and then print smooth hisses upon
His face; I am swift and fearful, but he
Is quiet, patient, and thoughtful. His
Broad bosom soothes my restlessness.'
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