Summary The speaker heralds the setting of the sun and
the rise of the evening star, and hears that he is
being called. He hopes that the ocean will not
make the mournful sound of waves beating
against a sand bar when he sets out to sea.
Rather, he wishes for a tide that is so full that it cannot contain sound or foam and therefore
seems asleep when all that has been carried from
the boundless depths of the ocean returns back
out to the depths. The speaker announces the close of the day and
the evening bell, which will be followed by
darkness. He hopes that no one will cry when he
departs, because although he may be carried
beyond the limits of time and space as we know
them, he retains the hope that he will look upon the face of his “Pilot” when he has crossed the
sand bar.