Ships in the night

"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."

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow I quote it here because I find this expression "Ships in the night" wistfully sad, it has an inherent romance in it. So I searched for it and the original is even more beautiful.