By Doug Gray
She climbs the rocky ledges above the shoal and
reef
And feels her way along the path, the churning
sea beneath
For years she’s lit the beacon that shines
through the darkest night
A widow with four children, our Lady of the
Light
E’en when fierce storms were raging
They would have run aground
If it were not for the beacon light
Their way would not have found
Regardless of the season
O’er e’en how dark the night
A figure seen against the storm
The Lady of the Light
When progress moved the clock ahead
For her they had no need
To clean and trim and light the wicks
Four little mouths to feed
Machines they have no feeling
Regardless how bad the night
Or Love, or Care, or watchful eyes like
The Lady of the Light
Today the beacon sheds its light out on a
restless sea
The path has all grown over now that leads out
to the sea
Some say that it is progress, the new electric
light
Yet no longer can the village boast of its
Lady of the Light
I wonder how wise they were, of if they stopped
to think
About lives dependent on the light for shelter
food and drink
Though even now ‘tis history, days since have
turned to night
There was something special in our town
The Lady of the Light
Dedicated to Mrs. Frances Thompson, Chance
Harbour, NB, The Lady of the Light.
A true story of a fisherman’s wife in Chance
Harbour left widowed with four children. She took on the job as light house
keeper in order to support her family. When replaced by an automatic electric
light in 1970, the village could no longer boast of its Lady of the Light.
June 5, 2006
Harry MacDonald
2 Jackstraw Lane
RR 2 Gananoque, On
K7G 2V4
Ph 613 382 8607
Fx 613 382 8673