Across a thousand miles of sea, a hundred leagues of land, <br />Along a path I had not traced and could not understand, <br />I travelled fast and far for this, -- to take thee by the hand. <br /> <br />A pilgrim knowing not the shrine where he would bend his knee, <br />A mariner without a dream of what his port would be, <br />So fared I with a seeking heart until I came to thee. <br /> <br />O cooler than a grove of palm in some heat-weary place, <br />O fairer than an isle of calm after the wild sea race, <br />The quiet room adorned with flowers where first I saw thy face! <br /> <br />Then furl the sail, let fall the oar, forget the paths of foam! <br />The Power that made me wander far at last has brought me home <br />To thee, dear haven of my heart, and I no more will roam.<br /><br />Henry Van Dyke<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/arrival-3/
