The Parents' Review

A Monthly Magazine of Home-Training and Culture

The Ferry of Dreams

"Boatman, ere thou take the tide,
 Tell me who are these that ride
 With thee to the further side."

"All thy dreams beneath the sun,
 Golden fancies never won,
 Deeds of glory left undone."

"Boatman, let me come with thee,
 For I may not parted be
 From the dreams that dwelt with me."

"Thou shalt stay, but these must go,
 Even as the birds that know,
 Ere it come, the time of snow."

"Boatman, when the birds shall be
 Here again from over-sea,
 Will my dreams come back to me?"

"Nay, but some dark eventide
 I will take thee by my side
 To the land where they abide."

[Caryl James Battersby, 1858-1927, British poet, author of "The Song of the Golden Bough and Other Poems," and the lyrics to Edward German's song "Who'll Buy My Lavender."]

Proofread by LNL, June 2020