Modern Spirituality

Turn O’ The Tide ~ A Poem by Henry Van Dyke

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Finding Your Rhythm: Navigating Life’s Ebb and Flow with Henry Van Dyke

In a world that demands constant motion, have we forgotten the sacred necessity of the return?

Explore the rhythmic wisdom of Henry Van Dyke’s "Turn O’ The Tide." Discover how this classic poem offers a blueprint for balance in our modern, burnout-prone world.

Turn O’ The Tide

Henry Van Dyke

The tide flows in to the harbour,—
  The bold tide, the gold tide, the flood o’ the sunlit sea,—
And the little ships riding at anchor,
  Are swinging and slanting their prows to the ocean, panting
    To lift their wings to the wide wild air,
    And venture a voyage they know not where,—
  To fly away and be free!

The tide runs out of the harbour,—
  The low tide, the slow tide, the ebb o’ the moonlit bay,—
And the little ships rocking at anchor,
  Are rounding and turning their bows to the landward, yearning
    To breathe the breath of the sun-warmed strand,
    To rest in the lee of the high hill land,—
To hold their haven and stay!

My heart goes round with the vessels,—
  My wild heart, my child heart, in love with the sea and the land,—
And the turn o’ the tide passes through it,
  In rising and falling with mystical currents, calling
    At morn, to range where the far waves foam,
    At night, to a harbour in love’s true home,
  With the hearts that understand!

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Hold Fast Your Dreams ~ A Poem by Louise Driscoll

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Finding Sanctuary: Why Holding Fast to Your Dreams is Vital Today

Hold Fast Your Dreams

Louise Driscoll

Hold fast your dreams!
Within your heart
Keep one still, secret spot
Where dreams may go,
And, sheltered so,
May thrive and grow
Where doubt and fear are not.
O keep a place apart,
Within your heart,
For little dreams to go!

Think still of lovely things that are not true.
Let wish and magic work at will in you.
Be sometimes blind to sorrow. Make believe!
Forget the calm that lies
In disillusioned eyes.
Though we all know that we must die,
Yes you and I
May walk like gods and be
Even now at home in immortality.

We see so many ugly things—
Deceits and wrongs and quarrelings;
We know, alast we know
How quickly fade
The color in the west,
The bloom upon the flower,
The bloom upon the breast
And youth’s blind hour.
Yet keep within your heart
A place apart
Where little dreams may go,
May thrive and grow.
Hold fast—hold fast your dreams!

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The Sanctuary Within: Reclaiming Our Dreams

In a world defined by the relentless “scroll” and the harsh glare of “doomscrolling,” Louise Driscoll’s Hold Fast Your Dreams serves as a vital manifesto for the soul. The poem isn’t just a sweet sentiment; it is a strategic defense of the human spirit. Driscoll urges us to cultivate a “place apart”—a mental sanctuary where the cynicism of contemporary society cannot penetrate.

Today, we are bombarded by “deceits and wrongs,” making it easy to succumb to the “disillusioned eyes” that Driscoll warns against. To “walk like gods” in the 21st century means refusing to let digital fatigue or global anxieties extinguish our capacity for “wish and magic.” By making believe and being “sometimes blind to sorrow,” we aren’t ignoring reality; we are protecting the creative spark that allows us to improve it. In an age of fleeting trends, the “bloom upon the flower” may fade, but the internal dream remains .

As you read this poem, ask yourself:

Is the “secret spot” in your heart currently filled with the world’s noise, or have you left enough room for your smallest, most magical dreams to grow?

Wonder ~ A Poem by Robert W. Service

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Finding Joy in the Modern Chaos: The Redemptive Power of Robert W. Service’s “Wonder”

In an age of relentless optimization and digital noise, have we forgotten the simple, soul-saving magic of being truly amazed?

Wonder

Robert W. Service

For failure I was well equipped
      And should have come to grief,
By atavism grimly gripped,
      A fool beyond belief.
But lo! the Lord was good to me,
      And with a heart to sing,
He gave me to a rare degree
      The Gift of Wondering.

I could not play a stalwart part
      My shoddy soul to save,
And should have gone with broken heart
      A begger to the grave;
But praise to my anointed sight
      As wandering I went,
I sang of living with delight
      In terms of Wonderment.

Aye, starry-eyed did I rejoice
      With marvel of a child,
And there were those who heard my voice
      Although my words were wild:
So as I go my wistful way,
      With worship let me sing,
A treasure to my farewell day
      God’s Gift of Wondering.

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Reflection

I recently revisited Robert W. Service’s “Wonder.” It’s such a sophisticated reminder that even when we feel ill-equipped for the “stalwart parts” society demands of us, there is a profound grace in remaining starry-eyed.

In our contemporary world—where we are often gripped by the “grim atavism” of competition and cynicism—Service suggests a radical alternative: Wonderment. He speaks of a “shoddy soul” saved not by achievement, but by the “anointed sight” of a child. It’s a beautiful thought, isn’t it? That our most valuable “treasure” isn’t our productivity, but our ability to marvel at the wildness of life. Even when the world feels heavy, choosing to sing with delight transforms our path from a struggle into a “wistful way.” It’s a gentle nudge to let our curiosity be our greatest strength.

As you read this poem, ask yourself:

In the rush of my daily routine, what “wild words” or small marvels am I overlooking that could transform my “shoddy” moments into worship?

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