Alfred, "Eccentric" Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)

Crossing the Bar (1889)

     Sunset and evening star,
     And one clear call for me!
     And may there be no moaning of the bar,
     When I put out to sea,
     
     But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
     Too full for sound or foam,
     When that which drew from out the boundless deep
     Turns again home.
     
     Twilight and evening bell,
     And after that the dark!
     And may there be no sadness of farewell;
     When I embark;
     
     For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
     The flood may bear me far,
     I hope to see my pilot face to face
     When I have crossed the bar.
     

Back to the Tennyson page.