The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

The tide rises, the tide falls,The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;Along the sea-sands damp and brownThe traveller hastens toward the town,And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,But the sea in the darkness calls and calls;The little waves, with their soft, white hands,Efface the footprints in the sands,And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stallsStamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;The day returns, but nevermoreReturns the traveller to the shore,And the tide rises, the tide falls.