On Such a Night by Thomas Johnston

I never heard of this poem or of this poet but what a beautiful discovery.

On Such a Night
by Thomas Johnston

On such a night as this the ships of Rome
Sailed out and out on such a darkling sea,
And many a Roman sailor dreamed of home -
Of love and life in far-off Italy.
On such a night, my dear, some Portuguese
Has leaned his sunburned shoulders on the rail,
Has heard the soothing rustle of the breeze,
Looked up, and seen, above the soft-curved sail,
The pointed mast trace missives in the sky;
Then, humming low in liquid latin tone,
Enchanted by the world's tranquility,
Has thought of one who lived for him alone.
The sky above so deep, the stars so bright!
Oh for my love, close-held, on such a night.