Heart of New England

Chapter 27: THE PASSER-BY

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About This Book

A lyric collection that moves through New England’s seasons, landscapes, and local history, blending pastoral description with folklore, legend, and occasional patriotic and religious reflections. Poems evoke shorelines, orchards, pine woods, and village life while honoring Pilgrim ancestry and the fortitude of pioneer women; other pieces imagine fairies, haunted houses, pirate lore, and convent gardens. Varied forms include children’s verses, contemplative nature lyrics, and occasional odes, united by a regionally rooted voice that balances celebration of place with quiet moral and communal meditation.

THE PASSER-BY

In the fragrant, moonlit night,
Without a thought of fear,
I wakened in my seaward room
And felt a Presence near.

The open window glowed,
And suddenly I knew
That Some One was out walking
Above the summer dew.

The tall pines held their breath,
And the little cedar trees,
With all the grasses in the field,
Were kneeling on their knees.

Beyond the dunes the sea
Was like a silver floor,
For Some One’s holy feet to cross
Out of a foreign shore.

Then lo! Above the trees
A halo, round and bright!
No more I saw of One who passed
All silent in the night.