Atlantic Nocturne by J. Frank Willis (1908-1969)

Atlantic Nocturne

When the grey of the night creeps out of the east
And the salt of the sea smells cold,
And away in the west the evening has died
With a last brief gift of gold —
Then the rolling long-shore hills stretch out,
In an arabesque of blue
And the soft friendly glow of candlelight
In the cottages calls to you
To come and dream — to forget the day
And its cares — and the murm'ring tide
Will take you adventuring down the world
In your chair by the fireside,
Or bring to you with its mist of night,
The mood for quiet thought,
Or sing to you with its low soft voice
A tune that you'd almost forgot.

For there is a verse, or a melody,
Or a thought for everyone
In the Nocturne the old Atlantic sings
To the shore when day is done.

by J. Frank Willis (1908-1969)

The connections of this poem to Prince Edward Island are more personal but because it is not available on the Internet - thought this might be a spot to place a copy and tell the story behind it.

Frank Willis began his career as a Canadian broadcaster in Halifax, N.S. in 1925 and hosted an evening hour of poetry reading to organ music, initially called Harbour Lights and later Atlantic Nocturne.  In 1936, when the Moose River mine disaster occurred, trapping individuals in an abandoned mine 100 kilometres east of Halifax - Willis brought live broadcasting from an emergency to the CBC airwaves - his broadcasts of the rescue over 69 hours set a new place for radio in keeping Canadians connected to unfolding stories of significance. His career eventually took him to Toronto and he remained on the airwaves until 1963.

Atlantic Nocturne, was a signature piece of poetry J. Frank Willis wrote and read on the airwaves. It impressed another broadcaster, Bob Large of CFCY Charlottetown and he kept a printed copy of the poem in his home. At the funeral of Bob Large in 2009, longtime broadcaster Eric MacEwen read Atlantic Nocturne. Poetry is not often heard on radio - except on the weekly syndicated Eric MacEwen Show - thus it was a fitting tribute to another era when the roots of Canadian broadcasting were first being established.