STAR COURSE
Reading edition
Into the darkening east we ride, Wave upon wave we thrust aside, White and defiant they seethe around. What do we care! We’re homeward bound! The sea beneath and the sky above, These are the things a man can love, Not when he leaves his native shore, But when, far out of the sight of land, He takes the wheel with a steady hand To guide him home once more. Then homeward, homeward be my course, And constant be my star, For I have wandered east and west And I have wandered far, Yet home and joy can only be Where love and friendship are. I’ve searched among the isles of men The love I left behind, Explored for friendships in the waste Of broken, humankind, And sought for beauty, sought for wit, With naught of all to find. In dens of laughter when I laughed There came a hollow sound, Yet every night I went again To join the merry round, And every night I knew that there My heart would not be found. Then homeward, homeward be my course, And constant be my star, And may I not have changed too much Because I’ve wandered far. Their love and laughter now I need Who home and friendship are.