Drifting Away. December 2
They drift away—Ah, God! they drift for ever.
......
I watch them drift—the old familiar faces,
Till ghosts, not men, fill old beloved places.
......
Shores, landmarks, beacons drift alike.
Yet overhead the boundless arch of heaven
Still fades to night, still blazes into day.
Ah, God! My God! Thou wilt not drift away!
A Fragment. 1867.