At Night On The High Seas

Portrait of Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse 1877–1962

At night, when the sea cradles me And the pale star gleam Lies down on its broad waves, Then I free myself wholly From all activity and all the love And stand silent and breathe purely, Alone, alone cradled by the sea That lies there, cold and silent, with a thousand lights. Then I have to think of my friends And my gaze sinks into their gazes And I ask each one, silent, alone: "Are you still mine" Is my sorrow a sorrow to you, my death a death? Do you feel from my love, my grief, Just a breath, just an echo?" And the sea peacefully gazes back, silent, And smiles: no. And no greeting and now answer comes from anywhere.

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