| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 1301. Sleep |
| | | By Alice Brown |
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| WITHDRAW thee, soul, from strife. | |
| Enter thine unseen bark, | |
| And sail across the dark, | |
| The silent sea of life. | |
| Leave Care and Grief, feared now no more, | 5 |
| To wave and beckon from the shore. | |
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| Thy tenement is bare. | |
| Shut are the burning eyes, | |
| Ears deaf against surprise, | |
| Limbs in a posture fair. | 10 |
| The body sleeps, unheeding thee, | |
| And thou, my sailing soul, art free. | |
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| Rouse not to choose thy way; | |
| To make it long or short, | |
| Or seek some golden port | 15 |
| In haste, ere springs the day. | |
| Desire is naught, and effort vain: | |
| Here he who seeks shall ne’er attain. | |
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| Dream-winged, thy boat may drift | |
| Where lands lie warm in light; | 20 |
| Or sail, with silent flight, | |
| Oblivion cleaving swift. | |
| Still, dusk or dawning, art thou blest, | |
| O Fortune’s darling, dowered with rest! | |
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