“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”
– Henry Longfellow, The Theologian’s Tale; Elizabeth, Section IV
Well, may be a few things have changed since 1874 when those words were penned. There was a little more than a signal shown; there were the lights of the cabins, spot lights, and fireworks. The distant voice was joined by several others, including many laughs, hoots and shrills, folded into the ambient bar music rolling across the waves. The ocean of 1874-life may have been so tranquil; the ocean of today’s life enriches the fleeting look and voice with an electronic legacy of tweets, texts and selfies. All for the better, no doubt.
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