Godspeed

John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)



Outbound, your bark awaits you. Were I one
Whose prayer availeth much, my wish should be
Your favoring trad-wind and consenting sea.
By sail or steed was never love outrun,
And, here or there, love follows her in whom
All graces and sweet charities unite,
The old Greek beauty set in holier light;
And her for whom New England's byways bloom,
Who walks among us welcome as the Spring,
Calling up blossoms where her light feet stray.
God keep you both, make beautiful your way,
Comfort, console, and bless; and safely bring,
Ere yet I make upon a vaster sea
The unreturning voyage, my friends to me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

33 sec read
89

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDCEFFEBB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 606
Words 109
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. more…

All John Greenleaf Whittier poems | John Greenleaf Whittier Books

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    "Godspeed" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22908/godspeed>.

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