Sonnet LXVI

WRITTEN IN A TEMPESTUOUS NIGHT ON THE COAST OF SUSSEX.

Charlotte Smith

THE night-flood rakes upon the stony shore;
Along the rugged cliffs and chalky caves
Mourns the hoarse Ocean, seeming to deplore
All that are buried in his restless waves —
Mined by corrosive tides, the hollow rock
Falls prone, and rushing from its turfy height,
Shakes the broad beach with long-resounding shock,
Loud thundering on the ear of sullen Night;
Above the desolate and stormy deep,
Gleams the wan Moon by floating mist opprest;
Yet here while youth, and health, and labour sleep,
Alone I wander — Calm untroubled rest,
“Nature’s soft nurse,” deserts the high-swoln breast,
And shuns the eyes, that only make to weep!

You can read more about Charlotte Smith here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Smith_(writer)