Turn O' The Tide

The tide flows in to the harbour,-
The bold tide, the gold tide, the flood o' the sunlit sea,-
And the little ships riding at anchor,
Are swinging and slanting their prows to the ocean, panting
To lift their wings to the wide wild air,
And venture a voyage they know not where,-
To fly away and be free!
The tide runs out of the harbour,-
The low tide, the slow tide, the ebb o' the moonlit bay,-
And the little ships rocking at anchor,
Are rounding and turning their bows to the landward, yearning
To breathe the breath of the sun-warmed strand,
To rest in the lee of the high hill land,-
To hold their haven and stay!
My heart goes round with the vessels,-
My wild heart, my child heart, in love with the sea and the land,-
And the turn o' the tide passes through it,
In rising and falling with mystical currents, calling
At morn, to range where the far waves foam,
At night, to a harbour in love's true home,
With the hearts that understand!