Chance or Divinity

Looking out into an endless sea
Of ripples, waves, and tides,
My eyes fail to see
Much beyond the rising swell
That grows yet close
To my lonely vessel,
Swan-prowed
As the ships of elder days.
Caught in the strong west wind,
I am driven ever onward
Into that perpetual blue,
Where sky and sea meet
At horizon ambiguous.
Fog rolls over the deep,
Clouding my view
Of my silent companion,
The sun above.
In melancholy strain,
I sing a mariner's lay
And hold the course
As accurately as I may;
Yet, I know, indeed,
That my destination,
Over the restless foam,
Is yet unknown to me,
For where I first designed to go
May be many leagues now
From where my ship is going,
Led by an unknown navigator.
Though I know not his mind
Or his very identity,
I am at least content
That I do not travel alone.
It remains to be seen,
However,
Whether my companion be
Mere chance
Or Divinity.