There was a light on the far shore

Hound and Horn was a literary magazine founded in 1927 by two Harvard alum and, though independent of Harvard, focused on Harvard students and alumni. It ceased publication in 1934. Below is an excerpt from a poem by Oppenheimer in June 1928, describing memories of New Mexico.

Crossing
by Robert Oppenheimer

It was evening when we came to the river
With a low moon over the desert
that we had lost in the mountains, forgotten,
what with the cold and the sweating
and the ranges barring the sky.
And when we found it again,
In the dry hills down by the river,
half withered, we had
the hot winds against us.

There were two palms by the landing;
The yuccas were flowering; there was
a light on the far shore, and tamarisks.
We waited a long time, in silence.
Then we heard the oars creaking
and afterwards, I remember,
the boatman called us.
We did not look back at the mountains.