C O N T E N T S

Moschus and Bion Heavenly Pity My Lady Streams of Faith Cloud Pictures Sweet Vassalage Th e Morning Land Shelley Fairer than Rose and Lily A Benefactor Walk not by Sight Margaret Blood Guiltiness Dreamland Unrequited Love Whence and Whither Other Worlds than Ours On My Word A lone Confide Wh en from Creative Toil Th e Ravage of Time In Absence Th e Golden Rule Th e Starry Heavens ’ Love s "ealousy Ideal H eights ’ Life s Pilgrimage Crowned with "oy Th e Flight of th e Spirit CONTENTS

Transmuting Time Reproach Me Not Perple"ed by Doubt Bygone Days Narcissus Th e Veiled Portal Caesar What Brow so Fair as Thine Christmas Morn Freewill and Destiny Red Rose ’ Death leads our Loved Ones to Heaven s Who Knows Th e Timidity of Love Hearken Again Shakespeare Absent Returned Truth Long Sought Th e Fairest Fair ’ God s Ways are Dark ’ Life s Glad Spring Isabel Pessimism A Banquet of Delight ’ Had I th e Courtly Sydney s Art Thy Providence E"tend Poesy Enigmas A Dream "uestion Mourn not for M e My Lady May ’ Love s Witchery Margaret Sunset Forlorn Mutation Marie Ideal Beauty ’ "amie s on th e Sea Desolate When all is Dark Around Sun Worship My Pretty Sweeting Ailsa Rock Le t th e Past U nheeded Go Omar Khayyam My Golden Dreams Life Weariness Belinda Th e Old Statesman In Absence Skylark Thinking of Days Departed Almighty Love How o How ar How r r L ne , D k , D ea y Th e Sounding Title Great Th e Sun yet bears Tyrannic Sway Ye shall Reap as ye have Sown Disconsolate Sleep m "nt r n Al ighty God E h o ed on High Wasteful Nature I know a Maiden Fair and Sweet Burial in Mid -Ocean CONTENTS

0 Shall we Never Meet Sweet Converse Laura to M e Th e U nseen Universe Ballade of Youth

Happy Bygone Days God in Nature Lovely Isabel Th e Light of Truth Milicent God is Love ’ Belinda s Charms To Burns Memories Th e Creed of Many To Dream of You ’ Life s Warfare and Defeat Me "How th e m n e ts Ah , "uick Mo Fly Keats Alice Lee Turkish Atrocities Fairer far than M ay Poesy What if I Should Steal a Kiss Th e Law of Love Spring Ministering Spirits ’ Th e Heaven s Starred Face Do H eavenly Powers regard us from on ' Love s Laughing Spor t ’ Falsehood s Gilded Lies A Song of Praise CONTENTS

Th e Poets What if I Should Steal a Kiss Prayer Who could th ink when first we met Our Pastor Winter and Spri ng t er O t er Whi h , Whi h O r I cr to e Lo d , y Th e Annette Of One Eternal Power speak all th e Creeds Love and Languishment Faith and Works a a r ri e My L dy F i , A s Chan ticleer Molly Bawn Tim e Bringeth Change When Hope Lies Dead Is Oblivion th e End Spring Th e Buried Past Violet and Lily Fair eace on art wi to Men P E h , Good ll Beyond th e Veil Is there Mirth in Heaven ? My "ueen of Beauty Th e Spirit Giveth Life A Willing Slave Deceitful Hope Falling Leaves of Life Some Other Day ’ Content is Life s best Treasure Complete in Thine Own Loveliness Australia A Dilemma Modest Worth CONTENTS

0 Let us Love while it is May Th e Unseen Land What Melody is that I Hear me th e er of ift Ti , Giv G s When last I saw my Love A Tender Song I fain would Sing Mat ter and Spirit Entreaty O Lord of Light and Truth Divided Allegiance Margaret Th e Gift of Song Old Heroic Days Why Mourn for th e Dead ’ Tossed on Life s Dark and Stormy Sea In Trance they say Seers and Prophets Th e Agnostic Enigmas MOSCHUS AND BION

S S f a MO CHU o Syracuse thus w iled his woe,

’ a r and Tho f i fragile flowers yield to fate,

a t e- These will another ye r germinate,

’ And they in beauty s pride again will blow

’ i But mortals, when by death s cold hand la d low,

Heaven ’s breath will ne’er again reanimate "

a The wise and good, the valiant and the gre t

Alike to dust and dark dishonour go .

This mournful strain sang he in sad lament

For Bion dead "Bion, a singer sweet

Of field and fleecy fold "but we m ay sing

A blither song, a song of pure content,

Who know that souls set free, on pinions fleet

Ascend to God, and that death hath no sting. HEAVENLY PITY

STEEPED in the mud and m ire of circumstance

’ Altho thou art, hide not thy face in fear,

’ As tho I frowned on thee with brow austere

t I e . Poor soul, hink not look on thee askanc

e Go, change thy soil d raiment, and advance

Toward my golden gate : soon shalt thou hear

m Seraphic elody fall on thine ear,

And heavenly joy shall ligh t thy countenance .

m So gently urmurs Love Divine, to all

i ’ Who, on l fe s miry way, despairing fall "

Of hope abandoned, sad, and sick of heart

So greeteth He each worn and weary one,

’ Who, by fate s enmity, seems all undone,

art . And whispers, Be of cheer, for mine thou MY LADY

I DO not marvel that in mute surprise

You gaze upon my lady . Is not she

A r h s fair as Cyp is, w en from out the sea

She rose with glamour gleaming in her eyes,

And robed in blushing beauty’s fairest guise ?

Does it not seem as if the Graces three

H e ad met and said, Com , let us all agree

? To make this lady lovely, sweet, and wise

Yet all this outward beauty you behold

Is far surpassed by that which is unseen

e e th e The tend rn ss of heart, soul serene,

The unobtrusive virtues manifold

m n Enough, the countless char s that grace my quee ,

For lack of language must remain untold . STREAMS OF FAITH

’ THRo this doubt-clouded clime flow many streams

Of faith, and by those living waters sink

- On pious knees, care laden souls to drink "

e e R freshed, then do they slumber, and have dr ams

Of paradise, all radiant with beams

Of love and light . Many there be who think

m All brooks, but one, i pure from brink to brink,

And that Infinite Love from Death redeems

' uafl Not those who q alien waters . Day

By day are precious boons abundant sent

To all from God . 0 will He then dismay

Poor souls with sullen brows of discontent

Wh o con fidin l ? "" look to Him g y Nay nay

h ow m His of pro ise over all is bent . CLOUD PICTURES

THE azure vault o"f heaven with splendour glows This pious morn airily and light,

Along the far horizon colours bright

Are lavished, opal, amethyst, and rose,

a In cloudy c pes and archipelagoes,

r e - Where seem to ise h aven kissing Alps, in white

r m a a : A rayed, and of i me sur ble height

t . A scene of beau y,"locked in sweet repose O blazonry divine consummate skill,

Made manifest in glories pictured there .

I In breathless admiration lost, gaze,

Adoring Him who doth creation fill

e a With signs and tok ns of His love and c re,

And who in beauty so His m ind displays . SWEET VASSALAGE

K " O HAR in yonder myrtle shade, the dove

In tones caressing woos his gentle mate

I As tender and as true shall be, love,

r To you my hea t and soul are dedicate .

t I From fai h and fealty shall not swerve,

Bu t willing homage pay you evermore

My pride and highest boast shall be to serve

ou I d e t r . And honour you "y , ares , ado e

No bondage hard and heavy do I bear "

e r I e In golden f tte s bound, liv content

0 e ou r r For my gentle qu en , y p oudly wea

’ Enthralling beauty s fairest ornament "

From so sweet vassalage wh o would be free ?

A crown would I resign your slave to be . THE MORNING LAND

’ ER f r d O sapphire deeps aith sees a shining st an ,

Whose beauty far excels our fairest clime

r m When buds and blossoms b eak in dewy pri e,

And to magnificence the rose is fanned

’ By zephyr s wings : he sees the morning land

From this low bank and sh ifting shoal of time

m m The heavenly eadows where, in thought subli e,

- White robed immortals wander hand in hand . " " " r Faith cries, Rejoice rejoice of this be su e,

To that unclouded clim e ye are addressed

e Wher , in the smile of God, the good and pure

woe r Abide : by want and no more opp essed,

W m e ith the , at last, y shall find blissful rest, " And peace that shall for evermore endure . SHELLEY

As sed love and ruth his gentle soul posses ,

So was his lyre to sweeter music strung

Than melodies by other poets sung

- s an . In this green , wave wa hed isl d of the west

al And yet by c umny he was oppressed,

Until the wild wave round his body clung,

And set his spirit free to sit among

a o and t ar . The gre t and g od, be by hem c essed

His soul was like a flame, a ray divine,

u - And rose from o t the storm enraged brine,

A fairer world with glory to illume :

" h a d l is E lte , high above nether sphere,

His brow is crowned with leaves time cannot sere,

r And ama anths of everlasting bloom .

A BENEFACTOR

How do we treat our benefactors here ?

A noble soul, by love and ruth possessed

For n a ra d re all manki d, in n tive g ndeur ssed

n e l O c wa ked this earth . Did anthems loud and clear

r m r m P oclai His p aise, while irth and happy cheer

t Him ? At ended along Was He caressed ,

And held in high esteem ? Let this attest

a r m n Wh t gue don H e received of e . Draw near

m er r n This ast piece, whe ei the painter shows

The recompense ungrateful man bestows

Upon his best and fairest : there you see

a r and l Th t pu e oving soul, all ruth denied,

n m a n : I sulted, o ning, bleedi g that is He

t w —cr fi Between o malefactors uc i ed . WALK NOT BY SIGHT

" BE not of those who cry, We walk by sight,

And faith account credulity. Look round

rr v and can The sta y ault, say if you bound

A universe where neither day nor night

v r Pre ail . Wide realms of eve lasti ng light

e r - Repose in azur deeps , where glo y crowned

m m I ortals sing, and singing ever sound

r wh o r m The p aise of Him sits ar ayed in ight .

The unseen is eternal . From of old

e r a e n t r This truth has be n p ocl im d by sai and see ,

e But in this age, when faith has wax n cold ,

le m e not a Of things invisib so will he r,

And all belief in after life they hold

’ r e m r As but the efl x of an s hope and fea . MARGARET

’ H AD I th e poet s art this world would ring

With melody outpoured in my love ’s praise

In fancy would range abroad, and bring

From fields afar fair flowers to grace my lays

But neither wit nor words have I to sing

As gentle bards do in th ese latter days "

’ Yet all that s fair in odour-breathing spring

I see when on my lady love I gaze .

For in m y dearest dear together meet

All that is beautiful , and pure, and sweet "

So gentle, amiable, good, and kind

Is she wh o makes me every care forget

0 where in all this wide world shall you find

A maid to match my peerless Margaret BLOOD GUILTINESS

r m FROM agonising d eams, in dark dis ay

I m start, and feel y hands with his blood wet

a A year, a fe rful year has passed, and yet

I see h im as with livid lips he lay

m : " d a At y red feet 0 God by night and y

I h Am by awful, g ostly shapes beset " I e t hear th m shriek, You never shall forge " The past "a stain is on your soul for aye .

Each sound is like a loud alarum bell,

And shakes me with appalling fear : in vain

I t a e I sigh for peace and res , both h v slain

r With him, all three, all th ee together fell

r "m n In one red, w ithing heap . O God y brai

Is raging hot : is this the fire of hell ? DREAMLAND

IN dreamland fain would I abide alway,

- That care unclouded, radiant realm of gold

Where, fanned by zephyr, blossoms bright unfold ,

And dale and dell are clothed in garments gay .

’ When night s soft fingers close the eyes of day,

m ’ In slu ber s deep entrancement, I behold

That clime of beauty and delight untold Whe"re spring , exulting, bears eternal sway. Ah there beneath melodious boughs, recline

On flowery beds a happy, happy race

Who know not weeping want and sighing sorrow :

l ’ But as they drain the cup of ife s glad wine,

A smile of joy irradiates each face :

a w - - Ple sed ith to day, they sigh not for to morrow. E" LOVE UNR UITED

N UPO a day, with April in my heart,

Hope whispered pleasing promise in my ear "

To my simplicity h e seemed sincere For then I knew not one deceitful ar"t. A r non, a maid I saw, my counterpa t

a " I cried, O pure of soul as mount in mere

Soon at her feet I fell, and called her dear,

" . But, ah no ruth had she for all my smart

all ff Alas for me, and who su er so

e "a From unr quited love las their pain,

t o e Who drink the wine of hope find th ir bane,

And all the bitterness of anguish know

s " I look for solace, but ala in vain ,

w To her h o is my unrelenting foe. WHENCE AND WHITHER

MOULDED in grace and beauty by God’s hand

Some say were we : some say evol ved from slime

In slow process of long enduring time "

m And some proclai a faith, supremely grand,

That we shall yet in guise immortal stand

’ e On time s eternal shor , and sing sublime

ae Him m P ans to , to whom the ages cli b

r Convergent . The glo ies of that golden strand

’ Have ne er to mortal eyes yet been revealed

But O a loving tone proceedi ng th ence

We crave ere we take our departure hence

Th e n n a a " sile t heave s, l s no token yield

N r h a "a o sign vouc s fe as d rkness veils our whence,

So is our whither by deep shades concealed .

ON MY WORD ALONE CONFIDE

O LOVE "believe not every idle tale

f My oes repeat, for some there be who sow

Discordant seed, in hope that it may grow

a To our discomfiture. When they ass il Me with envenomed tongue, an"d loudly rail Against my loyalty, sweetheart be slow

f a To judge by air but faithless outw rd show,

l For sure am I", truth shall at last prevai . T hen, dearest on my word alone confide "

For all-revealing time his seal shall set

’ In e : witn ss of its truth whate er betide,

Do not in haste what you would fain forget

Hereafter, nor in baseless anger chide,

Lest we both live to cherish dark regret . WHEN FROM CREATIVE TOIL

N WHE from creative toil God paused to rest,

Did man seem then in His admiring sight

A form of grace fulfilled with inward light ?

" : Ah, no he was not so supremely blest

r God sent him forth upon a wea y quest,

as i l And said, From darkness deep pr ma night,

By toil unceasing must he climb the height

Of knowledge all unaided. It is best.

His spirit shall I purify with fire

Of sorrow and sore anguish, so that he,

- Heart worn and weary, may My rest enjoy.

Beatitude is but fulfilled desire :

ffl t Schooled by a iction first, felici y

Will then taste sweet "now heavenly bliss would

3) cloy . THE RAVAGE OF TIME

M AN and his might endure but for a day "

a As leaves autumnal drive before the bl st,

’ So, in the waftage of time s wings, at last

Shall vanish all in dreadful disarray

m E pire and State like shadows melt away,

And fade into th e azure of the past

e a Throne, temple, tow r, all shall be downc st

By wasteful time : who can h is ravage stay ?

m A palace porch, a shattered te ple wall

r Alone emain to tell of passed pride,

’ - And man s vain boast of all prevailing might .

Into the silence of eternal night,

f One a ter one, the generations glide,

And dark oblivion then covers all . IN ABSENCE

’ THo a et l nds divide us , y I seem to be

0 Forever near you, so very near,

That now in fancy I behold you, dear

: Attired in beauty lost in reverie,

You wander slow beside a sapphire sea,

In whose low monotone you seem to hear

’ Love s litany, breathed in that shell, your ear

And sure am I your sweet thoughts fly to me .

’ in Time s tardy flight , stages I mete out,

And in imagination fondly say,

Now is my Lady Beautiful about

a e na To re d, or sing, or som so ta play "

f And when my ancy ranges, can I doubt

? Your gentle thoughts to me, beloved, stray THE GOLDEN RULE

Do unto others as ye would that they " Should do to you . So spake He, whom we hold

Divinely wise and good, yet slow to mould

sa Our lives are we on His, of whom we y,

f He is the truth, the li e, the perfect way

f We magnify His virtues mani old ,

And do, as did Iscariot of old,

The part of traitor to the Master play .

’ Small heed we give our needy neighbour s claim

To share the bounty Nature doth supply

a f In greed we grasp at honour, we lth, and ame,

’ Regardless tho another want thereby :

We trample down the weak, and think no shame,

Each one says he is he, and I am I . THE STARRY HEAVENS

THE : heavens are hung with splendour flaming,

shine

LO A million million stars . "to my sight

t They seem refulgen lamps, hung up to light

r A stately palace, gleaming c ystalline,

Where, clothed in majesty, the Power Divine

Sits high enthroned, attended by the bright

Angelic host . How wonderful in might

th e Is He, Lord of all : Who may define

The bound of His domain , or with a rod

? Mete out His palace floor with folded hands,

m infinitud e : A azed, before man stands

His reason reels, his soul is overawed

’ ’ r He knows he ne e can loose Orion s bands,

Or measure this vast universe of God . LOVE’S JEALOUSY

IT is true : I would keep you from"the sight r Of eve y eye but mine. 0 Isabel

misers wh o possess great riches dwell

In fear of filch ing fingers day and night "

a a So I , lest cruel f te, in d rk despite

Should rob me of my treasure . I know well My pain would pass the power o"f tongue to tell If I lost you, my lady of delight

’ From envy s eye, as misers hide their gold,

So would I hide you, dear, in some retreat,

t Rose canopied and breathing perfume swee ,

Where we together could communion hold,

’ And a in low tones love s litany repe t,

- All undisturbed by gazers over bold .

LIFE ’S PILGRIMAGE

’ K THIN , as you travel on life s dusty way,

You go toward a clime divinely bright

And beautiful : fear not approaching night

e in Will bring distr ssing dreams, nor dismay

Behold the angel Death draw near when day

Declines : he comes to lead your soul in sight

Of that fair land of everlasting light,

m Where Love i mortal bears eternal sway .

In life’s long pilgrimage each step you take

Brings you but nearer to that blissful clime

Where streams of living water ever flow :

Then, let not cheering hope your heart forsake,

But onward ever fare, and in good time

’ You ll reach the land where flowers immortal blow . O "OY CR WNED WITH

’ DECEMBER S discontent to smiling May

and Is changed, cloudy gloom to fair sunshine,

For she who caused me long . to sigh and pine

n Is full of grace a d ruth . This happy day

Am I as proud as sceptred kings wh o sway

r m Vast ealms, for she, in who all sweets combine,

’ H as brimmed for me the cup of joy s glad wine,

And wreathed my brow with ivy and with bay .

e Now, in her smile all Nature se ms to glow

to With loveliness, and my ravished sight

f Hill, dale, and dell, and all air flowers that blow

Appear to share in my supreme delight

Such potency has love to banish woe,

And robe the sullen earth in garments bright. THE FLIGHT OF THE SPIRIT

SENT hither, where alternate day and night

- : Prevail, earth woven ties enthral the soul

But as an eagle freed from forced control

th On pinions wide remounts e azure height,

So shall the spirit wing its upward flight

its To highest heaven, for thither lies goal

As turns the magnet to the earthly pole,

So looks the spirit to the fount of light .

r A denizen of yonder star y skies,

of Imprisoned in a tenement clay,

The soul awaits enfranchisement to rise

Exultant over death and time’s decay

f In regions air, unseen by mortal eyes,

r To live in light and love that last fo aye. TRANSM UTING TIME

’ TIME dissipates Illusion s dazzling train,

And makes all men acquaint with sober truth

r Chilling the heart and feve ing the brain,

l He brings experience to sha low youth .

’ h Time paints decay on Beauty s peerless c eek,

Transmuting golden locks to silver h ue

r Entrenching brows of yo e all fair and sleek,

He brings contented pride to bitter rue .

’ t Life s tender leaves he turne h pale and sere,

And dashes from red lips the wine of hope "

’ a a Love s rosy bed he ch nges to bier,

’ ’ And empire s sway to graveyard s narrow scope P roud, royal monuments he makes downfall ,

’ And wipeth out man s last memorial . REPROACH ME NOT

REPROACH me not that I absent me still

m Fro you, whom I so dearly long to greet "

O harbour charity that thinks no ill,

For my true heart is stranger to deceit.

A time will come when we in joy shall meet,

And whisper low beside the laughing rill,

When hearts divided shall together beat,

And, fate relenting, all our hopes fulfil .

Await, beloved, that auspicious day

Whose rosy dawn shall cloudy gloom dispel

Our tearful April shall in smiling May

Yet end "then doubt and fear together quell

all O trust me, dear, and shall yet be well "

I spend no joyous hour from you away . PERPLE"ED BY DOUBT " PERPLE ED by doubt, in darkness deep I grope

To find Thee . O my God "in pity shed

A light to guide me as I onward tread :

Without Thy gracious help how may I cope

’ ? With perils on life s darkling, downward slope 0 make m"e realise that I am led By Thee then shall I no more walk in dread,

ut 0 . B , cheered in spirit, forward fare in h pe

o But if, 0 L rd, I faint, if on the way

I feel downcast, do Thou my soul arouse

T o labour on while it is called to-day

Then count me worthy to present my vows

To e wh o a Thee with thos walk in white rray,

’ a And wear the Victor s wreath round their brows . BYGONE DAYS

WHEN boughs begin to bud, and sweet birds sing,

d a I ream of happy, happy bygone d ys,

When fancy filled each dell with gentle fays,

An d saw a naiad sit by every spring .

- Then , then I made the wild wood echoes ring

’ With melody outpoured in beauty s praise,

A nd , with divining eyes, did onward gaze,

Wistful of joys the summer hours might bring .

m " They ca e, but out, alas too quickly fled

n They brought the rose of love, too soo to die "

m Then sallow autu n shook the bough, and shed

The leaves of life that withered round me lie,

- As now, I sit alone with snow blanched head,

Dreaming of spring and summer long gone by.

THE VEILED PORTAL

’ FOR beauty s blandishment death little heeds,

Nor may entreaty stay his woeful waste

By slow approach, or else in sudden haste

e He comes, and through the v iled portal leads

’ All : men , resemble they fair flowers or weeds

Alike the wise and good, by beauty graced,

’ ' And they from whom God s image is eflaced

As are the forest kings, so are the reeds .

How little do we know of God’s design "

r : Grim death may prove a kindly f iend no cold,

f Dread foe, with cruel ace and eyes malign

A servant of the Master, taking hold

f O every hand, he may be a benign

And gentle usher at the gate of gold. CE SAR

I : TH S tale has Plutarch told Whilst ruling Spain ,

A flood of tears was Caesar seen to shed

’ As Al e"ander s history he read :

How over vanquished empires he did reign

’ Ere time had ploughed his brow. The Roman s

train

A : ae mazed, looked on when moody C sar said

I weep to think that Philip’s proud son led

’ i Triu mphant arms o er all the As an plain,

From Egypt unto Ind, whilst yet I may

: Not boast one grand achievement when, I say,

I think how that great leader left no foe

n e Unquelled, whe yet his tal of years was less

Than now I tell : good cause to weep my woe

and n ne . Have I, e vy him his happi ss WHAT BROW SO FAIR AS THINE

THE warbled melody from yonder bough,

m The sapphire blue of deep idsummer skies,

’ Fair morning s locks when fresh he doth arise,

- w And odour breathing flowers are, I tro ,

Not half so sweet and beautiful as thou .

r Thy liquid voice and tresses b ight, thine eyes

a a And b lmy bre th, my doting heart doth prize

o l Ab ve all things that love y be . What brow

So fair as thine ? or cheek that with the rose

May so compare ? Each well attired grace

b Attendant waits ,upon thee, and estows

Her choicest favour. Words are all unmeet

To tell the tale of all things good and sweet

a That in thy tender he rt find dwelling place . CHRISTMAS MORN

FOR n countless generations, on this mor

Have hymns of praise and anthems loud been

sung

: In honour of Thy name yet, when among

metest Us, Lord, Thou obloquy and scorn

A man despised, rejected, and forlorn

r Wert Thou . So to this day we t eat the just

e t And good, and when their ars are stopped wi h

dust

They are extolled , and held divinely born .

’ " 0 Thou, who sorrow s path in sadness trod

s Help us to know and prize the ons of God,

a m When, clothed in mort l guise, they co e to earth

So that, in very truth , it may be said,

w A kindly ray was on their path ay shed,

When after ages celebrate their birth . FREEWILL AND DESTINY

YOU say all m"en are gifted with freewill But, out alas it rather seems to me

u That slaves of cold, nfeeling fate are we

Poor toilers in this ever grinding mill.

’ Which of us can the soul s desire fulfil,

Or from oppressive want and sorrow flee ?

0 friend, you err in saying we are free

To follow good, bound as we are by ill .

f Uncheered, unsunned, a weary li e we lead

t On his dull earth, where, toiling day by day,

We but maintain this tenement of clay .

f O raze that foolish tenet rom your creed,

A nd , gentle friend, believe me when I say

That slaves of destiny we are indeed . RED ROSE

D " ’ RE rose you lay upon a maiden s breast

l For whom I sigh, and still my sou deceive

: With hope to win vain hope, to which I cleave,

’ ’ Tho well I w"ot I ne er shall be so blest. 0 happy rose to be by her caressed,

And by her sweet lips kissed : For you I weave

m - This web of idle rhy e, in make believe

As for the gentle maiden I love best .

" a Rose could you spe k for me, then would you say, " f and I know the air gentle Isabel ,

, " All unaware ha"s him enthralled all day He sighs, alas my tale I dare not tell,

To one I love not wisely, but too well " " In secret sorrow must I pine alway . DEATH LEADS OUR LOVED ONES TO

HEAVEN ’S GATE

H ow many sigh, no more shall we behold

A form of grace that filled our home with light "

" an t l d Alas a presence, beau ifu bright,

ea r Has fled, and left this rth foreve cold

And dark . This is a lamentation old

For death , in seeming enmity and spite,

Has brought man grief and sorrow infinite

From age to age this doleful tale is told .

wo When all alone we sit in silent e,

And on the dear departed meditate,

t We think dea h is, indeed, a cruel foe

’ When sorrow s bitter tears make blind our eyes,

We find it very hard to realise

That he but le' ads our loved ones to Heaven’s

gate .

THE TIMIDITY OF LOVE

FOR one divinely fair does my heart beat

"0 s all With mingled hope and fear pa t p"raise Is she, who, like a queen , my being sways

I long to kneel and worship at her feet :

iffident n e Yet d , and timid whe we me t

Am I , to her sweet eyes I dare not raise

’ wn e My o with an assur d lover s gaze,

As bolder swains do when they maidens greet .

It is no marvel that I so admire

This maiden : Cypris dower she does possess "

r Beauty and g ace, weak words may not express,

A nd charm s untold that set my soul on fire

Ah " ’ , me it is my very love s excess,

’ That makes me fear to lose my heart s desire . HEARKEN AGAIN

HEARK EN again to what the Master spake

h W en you provide a feast, bid not rich friends,

n n Ki smen , or neighbours who ca make amends

n To you again "but whe a feast you make,

Let the poor, lame, and blind thereof partake,

And seek no recompense : blessing attends

On him wh o so his garnered wealth expends " in From death to life joy he shall awake .

How few unto the Master’s words give heed "

The rich, to rich men now provide great store,

an But to the poor who l guish in deep need,

No welcome they vouchsafe : without the door

a an- : They st nd, hungered, and forlorn indeed

Here, as in Palestine in days of yore . SHAKESPEARE

THE lustre of thy name to endless age

" c m art Will shine, 0 Shakespeare with onsum ate

a Thou hast laid b re the beating human heart,

and r . Its love loathing, envy, ruth , and age

r Men of all deg ees, motley fool and sage,

That in the tragi -farce of life play part

Thou h ast pourtrayed : turning thy leaves we start

In wonder at thy wisdom . Mighty mage "

Dame Nature gave thee deep , divining eyes,

And made her darkest secret known to thee

Because thy love, like summer air, was free,

Embracing false and foolish, fair and wise

e In every mood of dolour and of gl e,

ith all men did thy great soul sympathise . ABSENT

’ NO l v summer s story, ove, ha e I to tell,

0 r " N hea t have I to sing, and thou away

h as w f n All joy flo n rom dingle, dow , and dell,

Thine absence exiles beauty from the day .

oe Uprising Ph bus I so loved to note,

ra in- w Ar yed in robes wrought ith pearl and gold,

And woven western splendours that do float

Above his bed—mine eyes no more behold "

wi r A nt y aspect clouds the brow of June,

r n The oses, by thy smile unsun ed, do fade,

The mournful nightingale sings out of tune,

‘ " And I lament thine absence, lovely maid

t ’ Re urn , sweetheart, and clear sad summer s brow,

’ n u art For mi e, and nat re s cheering sun thou . RETURNED

" art 0 LOVE again returned thou to ch eer

: Desponding nature in thy sunny smile,

The roses now in blushing pride appear,

f - That languished all so adingly ere while.

Now Philomel her mellow song outpours,

And charms the ravished ear of listening night

’ l a The joyous ark, elate, to heaven s gate so rs,

’ And sings his rhapsody of love s delight .

n " Yea, summer has returned with thee, my quee

And sadness h as departed from the earth "

s The trees put on their richest robe of green,

And every voice proclaims contented mirth .

Winter or summer settles on my heart

m r a . As thou re ainest, dea , or dost dep rt TRUTH LONG SOUGHT " O TRUTH, long sought with longing infinite,

We have desired to see thee, and adore,

h But still, a sable veil ides thee from sight,

k - As in the dar , time buried days of yore .

On rock and temple wall, from age to age,

We fondly feign thy features to pourtray :

r We w ite thy name on many a sacred page,

’ O nly to see it fade with time s decay .

System and creed, as vesture, waxeth old,

As outworn garments are they cast aside :

Is it ordained that we shall ne’er behold

Th h ? y face while, pent in clay, we ere abide

’ " e Beloved truth our heart s d sire art thou :

O lift thy veil and show thy radiant brow. THE FAIREST FAIR

SPRING cannot show one dew-i mpearled flower

s r SO sweet and beautiful a you . I t ow

i C th eria r w Fa r y gave you cha ms for do er,

And set her diadem upon your brow.

I scan the chronicle of ages past,

But find not one among those deemed most

In such a mould of grace and beauty cast

m As ay with you in loveliness compare.

aa I think of Nausic , sweet and kind,

- of Who tended foam tossed Ulysses yore,

m And of that maiden who , in passion blind,

Fierce Agamemnon from Achilles tore "

m k Of Rosa ond I thin , and Guinevere,

‘ e r " But, O, not one may vie with you , my d a

LIFE ’S GLAD SP RING

’ i IN life s glad spring each fleeting day is br ght,

And each to-morrow robed in fair attire "

Hope, smiling, points the way to our desire

’ - t Thro rainbow tin ed fairy realms of light,

The airy vision saddens on the sight :

a f The freshness of the he rt ades all too soon ,

e Our hopes of high achievement reach th ir noon ,

And sink in disenchantment ere the night .

How little do we garner at the last

Of all the seed of hope we fondly cast

Into life’s furrow "A little blighted grain "

The strife among the reapers is so keen,

The little we achieve is scarcely seen "

God grant our toil be not accounted vain . ISABEL

v a M love is dressed in be uty, like the rose "

A beauty that all homage may command

’ t A sweeter flower was ne er by zephyr anned,

For in her tender heart all sweets repose .

She, who on Ilium brought many woes,

Was not m ore fair : no damsel in the land

Beside my love in rivalry may stand "

No flower so fair as she in beauty blows .

This all may see, and yet, I know full well

To inward loveliness all eyes are blind

a In vain I strive fit met phors to find,

That may her many virtues meetly tell

Enough that grace and beauty sit enshrined

Within the soul of my sweet Isabel . PESSIMISM

S " e m ALA no choice hav you how you ay spend

ar m m n " That e of circling ti e by e called life

’ While here you dwell you cannot scape from strife

’ r Tho clothed in g ace, and pure of heart you bend

And pious prayers for hu man welfare send

To heaven unceasingly. This world is rife

’ With wrong : to sounds of discord s shrieking fife

r f Footsore you ma ch to war are without end .

’ Let h im who thinks to read life s riddle say

What recompense does modest virtue gain

’ flauntin " O er g vice bedizened in array

Does heavenly justice weigh between these t wai n ?

e a Virtue for guerdon g tteth grief and p in,

And evil over good holds despot sway . A "E OF BAN U T DELIGHT

THE liquid lays of laurelled bards I read

With pleasure unalloyed, for they combine

Consummate thought with melody divine .

a e Day after day on d inty far I feed,

And thus appease my hungry soul’s long greed

a as Both eye and ear I fe st, , line by line,

’ I con them o er, until their beauties shine

Transparent : deep delight in me they breed .

Th e bard of Avon I love passing well "

: In Milton, a seraphic strain I hear

Wordsworth and Byron both to me are dear,

And he who sang of pale, sad Isabel

Shelley makes music pleasing to my ear "

But all the tale would take too long to tell . HAD I THE COURTLY SYDNEY ’S ART

’ HAD I the courtly Sydney s art, then might

all I pen a song to please you, dear, then

w e t The inning charms that my poor heart n hral,

In liquid syllables I would indite

For never lady wooed by belted knight

Wore on her brow a richer coronal

: Of beauty never yet, in bower or hall ,

Was maiden seen in loveliness bedight

not sa That could with you compare . 0 do y

m I flatter, when to si ple truth I cling,

’ ’ deck d e a ra For, and robed in b auty s best r y,

You far outvie the fairest flowers that spring

e If golden thought I could in words conv y,

To you a richer tribute I would bring . THY PROVIDENCE E"TEND

CELESTIAL ministrants attend and feed

l r The ittle birds, and songs their joy of hea t

Proclaim : but man in dire and doleful need

Finds not one heavenly friend to take his part.

" h n im A gels of light 0 hear sigh and moan,

m la - As hungry, eanly c d , soul sick, distressed,

’ Along life s weary way he toileth on

of . Toward the grave, his only bed rest

f r " Behold the lilies, clothed in air a ray

man To all, save , the Powers above seem kind

Forlorn of hope, he fainteth on the way "

or ? Where shall he solace seek, succour find

" r e Almighty God Thy p ovidenc extend,

And poor humanity from woe defend . POESY

BY no rude wind of angry passion blown,

a Fain, fain would I in some deep dell bide

Where trees broad shadows fling, with thee bride, " es Beloved po y for thee alone, W ith no regret, would I resign a throne

r not Gold I c ave , nor land extending wide,

Nor laden argosies that proudly ride

: n own The ocean wave but, 0 , I fai would

The sacred gift of song . The good and fair,

t r The beau iful and t ue, ah, surely they

’ Alone are worthy of a wise man s care,

In spite of all insensate worldlings say " mm " me I ortal maid a smile to then spare,

And gladly will I serve thee night and day .

A DREAM

I K N r n OW the land we t avel to, whe death

e f Hath set us free, is b auti ul and bright,

For in a dream I wandered yestem igh t

With one beloved : h er sweet voice lingereth

Yet in mine car : she said the time cometh

’ m When I shall guide you thro this real of light,

And marvels manifold will greet your sight

When you have yielded up this m ortal breath .

No land of silent shadows this did seem ,

For all things beautiful that here we prize

art a d Most dearly, fairest , n music sweet

u e Found grand expression there . My f ll heart b at

ff e With pure delight, glad tears su used mine ey s,

I could not speak , my joy was so extreme . " UESTION

’ ' FO R oflence e man s you say this earth is curs d,

And that the Love Eternal turned His face

th e f In anger from ather of our race,

Because for knowledge h e was all a-thirst

On such like tales our infancy was nursed "

et see r And y , in all we , do we not t ace

? Yea - Infinite beauty , our dwelling place

Is now as fair and fruitful as when first

r e It hea d in joy the voic of God, and rose

me From chaos old, and dark pri val night,

Arrayed in garments beautiful and bright .

w n e w Did He, hose work infi it isdom shows,

’ t v eart E er ban his lo ely h with bale and blight,

And loose on m an a leash of deadly woes ? MOURN NOT FOR ME

LET not sorrow blight the rose on your fair

Cheek when silent death draws nigh and takes me

From your side . Beloved "fain would I spare

You every woe : if that m ay haply be .

e When I am laid ben ath the daisies, dear,

Come not to my green grave to make low moan "

H e eave not one sigh, shed no r gretful tear "

I would not have you grieve when I am gone

Mourn not for me when I am laid on sleep,

’ And hear no more the lark s loud morning lay,

But let your star-bright eyes their lustre keep

Undimmed, for O believe me when I say,

m t On y dea hbed I could not lie at rest,

If gloomy thoughts my dearest love oppressed . MY LADY MAY

THY 0 " vesper song, , blackbird, sing

Why make so long delay ?

And t m e , gentle nigh , co soon , and fling

’ as w Thy mantle, dark raven s ing,

Over the eyes of day .

m t I long to eet, I long to gree

My love, my lady May .

e Her cheeks are roses pink and whit ,

Her hair is autumn ’s gold

My love, in all her beauty dight,

Is fairer far than ladies bright

Besung by poets old

m e Her looks and i n are like a queen,

Most lovely to behold . LOVE ’S WITCHERY

I K m I TH N there is enchant ent in your eyes,

m For, when their witching light first fell on e,

’ This care-o erclouded earth appeared to be

s m Tran for ed into a smiling paradise,

In summer gladness steeped : so in likewise

m My sullen , wintry ood was changed to glee

. W r Of jocund spring Sweet love, your itche y

’ f Has robed this earth in beauty s airest guise .

Sometimes I think, when walking by your side,

What if unfeeli ng fate should interpose

? " To part us twain Alas should this betide,

My winter would return with all its woes

a s w Again this earth would seem de ert ide,

Uncheered by laughing rill and blushing rose . M ARGARET

BEWITCHING Margaret

’ Wears Beauty s coronet,

And she holds my heart a captive In her thrall

i Other ma ds are fair and sweet,

But in beauty so complete

Never maiden was attired in bower or hall .

Her raven tresses shi ne

m am n Like oonbe s on the bri e,

’ When the sable wings of night spread o er th e sea

H er lips, of lovely mould,

Like chalice flowers hold

Sweets and odours that might snare the belted bee . 64 MARGARET

Her eyes are brighter far

a Than the gle ming morning star,

And they outshine every silver lamp of night

Her fair complexion shows

Like the lovely regal rose

n Whe , in pride of bloom, she blushes with delight .

Sweet bards, of elder days,

Sang melodies in praise

Of Laura, Chloris, Hero, and Lizette

But charming, debonair,

And sweet beyond compare

Is the paragon of beauty, Margaret .

DEEP VIOLET AND MARIGOLD

DEEP violet and marigold

’ Are my love s eyes and tresses

0 she is fairer to behold

Than violet and marigold,

And all the tale of flowers untold

Wh erewith young summer dresses

Deep violet and marigold

’ Are my love s eyes and tresses .

’ ’ Tho lovely be June s regal rose,

Her cheek its bloom surpasses

0 how her colour comes and goes,

A white, and then a crimson rose DEEP VIOLET AND MARIGOLD

Sh e is f the airest flower that blows,

And pink of bonny lasses

’ ’ Th o lovely be June s regal rose,

r He cheek its bloom surpasses .

S th ls weet Winifred, e queen of gir ,

Is blithe as she is bonny :

A snow-white brow ringed round with

Has Winifred, the queen of girls

Her lips are coral, teeth are pearls "

Then sing hey, nonny, nonny :

S weet Winifred, the queen of girls,

Is blithe as she is bonny. THE REALM OF FANCY

YE r sit S, I would ather alone and dream

In twilight shades melodious, than be

Possessed of rank and wealth in such degree

- As mammon minded mortals most esteem .

The golden realm of Fancy is, I deem,

’ f see Far fairer than wide wake ul eyes e er ,

And sweetest music is the melody

- That floats adown some fairy haunted stream .

W h hen fair Diana, virgin queen of nig t,

the Sits on her silver throne, gentle fays

Come forth to dance, and sing for her delight

And I , who am acquaint with woodland ways ,

l S Oft, unespied by one sly e fen prite,

In silence on the fairy revels gaze. FOR TIPPLING BELTED BEES

FO R tippling belted bees you hold

f a A r grant, dewy wine,

0 slender flower cups of gold "

But this dear maid of mine,

From ruby lips of lovely mould

Breathes odours more divine .

O s cented rose and eglantine "

How happy you look there,

As lovingly you twist and twine

’ ’ Thro my dear lady s hair,

And in one garland thus combine

To grace a brow so fair. FOR TIPPLING BELTED BEES

Your sister flowers are not so blest

In yonder garden close,

As you that on my lady’s breast

In slumber sweet repose

0 r that, like you , I there"might est, Sweet violet and rose SUNSET

S n LA T night, upon a wester slope reclined,

I watched th e pageant of the setting sun "

won Like some great king, returned from battles

Whose streaming banners float upon the wind "

But why the pomp of war occurred to mind

’ : I know not Day s great lord his course had run,

: And, parting, whispered peace and benison

beneficent His rule had been and kind .

And still I mused of many a potentate

Whose royalty was stained with blood

Dead kings who left an heritage of hate

To fan the embers of undying feud :

Better had they, ere death disrobed their state,

’ By kindly deeds deserved man s gratitude. FORLORN

da d a a HERE, y by y, I sit al ne,

And " , sighing, my sad loss complain

For my sweet Willie lies below

: In silent sleep three years ago,

f To hear his dear voice I was ain .

’ h Dark as the raven s wing, his air

’ In rings fell roun his brow sae fair "

His cheek was ruddy as the rose,

And 0 his e’en were black as sloes

’ Nae laddie could wi mine compare .

MUTATION

W a an - GRO TH and dec y, ever changing scene

Has passed before the eyes of hoary time

Since first this eart h careered in youthful prim e

r n Around her pa ent sun . The valleys gree

’ By winter s icy plough have furrowed been

and From plateaus high, where the oak and lime

a Deep shadows throw, and g dding creepers climb,

f Waved once a tangled orest submarine .

Heaven-kissing Alpine peaks once paved the floor

a Of ocean caves, and slimy cre tu"res creep s Where stood old forest kings, lo ea and shore,

And all which they contain but wake and sleep

They change with time, till time shall be no more,

a h a . And death, at l st, his latest field s all re p MARIE

UNDER this tree I wait m"y clear 0 happy trysting place

Her radiant image to my h eart

In fancy I embrace .

The fair complexion of my love,

My beautiful Marie,

Is like the blossoms pink and wh ite

Upon the apple tree.

An aureole of sunshine glows

Around her brow of pearl

More sweet and graceful could not be

The daughter of an ear". MARIE

O sweeter is her voice to h ear

a- n Than winds wooi g flowers,

h r When summer, in e azure garb,

Lies dreaming in the bowers .

A n ttired in maiden loveli ess,

The lily is not fairer

as v Her eyes are blue iolets,

f Her breath a per ume rarer. " But O my beating heart, be still

n My lady love draws ear,

t With quiet, modest, even s ep

m " She comes, y dearest dear

In whispers low as kissing leaves

On boughs above us bending,

We’ll murmur love’s delightful tale

Of happiness unending. IDEAL BEAUTY

IDEAL beauty, who may realise

? l e In art We see, with longing wistfu n ss,

- i " Heaven kissing peaks, forbidd ng all access

’ Art s gleaming summits soar in upper skies .

In vain the melodist by symbols tries

’ r The inward ear s fine hearing to exp ess,

And all unmeet are woven -words to dress

’ The poet s thought in raiment seemly wise,

The painter’s hand is impotent to trace

h is a - h a The shapes that haunt m ny c mbered brain ,

And marble never yet look forms of grace

So consummate as pass in sweeping train

Thro ’ rapt imagination ’s wide domain

h Thus beauty flies, while we, enamoured, c ase . JAMIE’S ON TH E SEA

T H E wind keeps howling all the night,

’ And Jamie s on the sea .

0 h ow I long for morning light

In m y deep agony :

0 Jamie, that the dawn would break

I long and pray for your dear sake .

In dire distress maun Jamie be

In this storm-battered bight "

O God "I lift my cry to Thee

Defend him by Thy might

A llay the storm, 0 still the wave "

M y Jamie save, my Jamie save. "AMIE ’S ON THE SEA

' My poor heart sinks in dread aflrigh t

Bring Jamie back to me "

Lord "keep him in Thy watchful sight

From danger set him free

In his dark peril be h im nigh

a . O hearken , he rken to my cry DESOLATE

d n NOUGHT I hear but the wail"ing win , the moa Of the surging sea : 0 God the bitterness

’ Of r in sorrow s cup I d"ain , as distress I sit and sigh, alas how sad, how lone

Am I : now all the light of life is gone

’ M h n y Donald s and I evermore shall press,

’ ’ Ne er feel again my love s too sweet caress,

Nor see those eyes that on me fondly shone .

On his pale lips one kiss I fain would shed,

Fain smooth th e fringed lashes of his eyes

But O a watery coverlet is spread

’ O er his fair limbs, as in cold death he lies

His tangled locks like seaweed fall and rise,

A nd r - pu ple sea blooms wave around his head .

WHEN ALL IS DARK AROUND

When on us heavily

Dark sorrows lie :

When faith and hope in Thee

Seemeth to die :

"ur Lord in o anguish be

Thou to us nigh . SUN WORSHIP

o " O HEAR our cry, Almighty L rd of Light

be Arise from slumber on Thine ocean d ,

And we, in reverence, will bow the head

h : t Before T ee issue for h, arrayed in might,

And scatter from before Thy glorious sight

All pale and paralysing sh apes of dread

Th e womb of Nox engenders : shapes that tread

' i h f aflr t . With silent eet, and chill us with g

A t - Thine approach", all fear shut eyes set free, Look up, 0 Lord rejoicing to behold

T h t y golden palace ga e extended wide .

A t Thine uprising evil spirits flee

s h Dismayed in ha te away, nor p antoms cold

B m efore Thy face ay anywhere abide . MY PRETTY SWEETING

O LEAVE your ivy mantled bower

h " And come fort , gentle maiden

wallflower With woodbine, roses, and

' - The air is odour laden .

e Come , come and hear the nightingal

’ His heart s complaint repeating,

And I will tell a tender tale

To you, my pretty sweeting .

' The daflodil from out the west

Long, long ago has faded

The myrtle walk which we love best

By friendly dusk is shaded . MY PRETTY SWEETING

It is the charmed hour of night

Wh en lovers all are meeting "

So come, in robes of beauty dight,

n And give me gentle greeti g. AILSA ROCK

HOARY Sea Warden "surely you can tell

An antique tale of time and change : if so,

Relate the rise and awful overthrow

Of dynasties divine . Under what spell

Came old Uranus when from power he fell ?

And say if Pluto ruled the realm below

w Where only pallid, scentless flo ers blow,

When you arose in upper air to dwell .

Did man from brutish origin attain

Pr - v of e eminence by slow ad ance mind,

Or h ad h e from the first a soul refined

And grandly-moulded form ? I speak in vain

My voice, to you, is but a wailing wind,

Scarce heard above the moaning of the main . LET THE PAST UNHEEDED GO

0 LET the past unheeded go

Discard this robe of sadness

If you brood so on passed woe,

It will bring moping madness .

Dismiss for ever dark regret "

Wh y should you still be rueing ?

Cheer up, the painful past forget :

Why work your own undoing ?

0 look not with reverted eyes

On days by sorrow blighted "

The future all before you lies

Resolve to be delighted . LET THE PAST UNHEEDED GO

ou a If y invite d rk dame Distress,

’ e ck Sh ll qui ly come to meet you,

And if you beckon Happiness,

a s Th t miling maid will greet you .

It lies with you to make each day

Take hues of joy or sorrow "

Then cheerily with stout heart say,

- I shall be glad to morrow.

MY GOLDEN DREAMS

MY golden dreams, by day and night,

Are of a maiden fair

Like roses red, and roses white,

’ e She is in b auty s vesture dight,

And that beyond compare

I never saw a lady bright

So sweet and debonair.

It is my secret joy to dream

Of her by night and d ay

And often, musing by a stream ,

I think I see her sweet eyes beam

On me with love’s own ray "

’ And yet I know tis but a dream

With which I fondly play . LIFE WEARINESS

- n h " all COME, sable, silent, involving ig t

Bring me surcease of sorrow "0 how fain

f ’ Would I orget the frown of love s disdain,

’ Fell fortune s enmity and cruel spite :

i The rose no more seems lovely in my s ght,

Unmoved I hear sad Philomel complain

r h n Beauty has fled this ea t , and all in vai

Are spells of spring to call back lost delight .

r t Dark fate has aimed his sha pest shaf at me,

- wa - An ill starred wight, y weary and outworn,

- n - Like some heart rive , thunder blasted tree

th e . I stand alone, mark of mocking scorn

0 come, stark night, and end my misery,

For I lament th e day that I was born . BELINDA

BALLADE

S a TEAR , unavailing te rs I shed,

O woe is me and well-a-way "

Pale flowers droop with heavy head,

And birds no more sing carols gay

' aflord s The sickly sun no ray,

But darkness deep around me lies :

The light that gladdened all my day

’ Shone from Belinda s azure eyes . " al My love, as my love is dead,

. And all the heavens are ashen grey

All beauty from the earth has fled,

" And I am sunk in deep dismay

THE OLD STATESM AN

WEARY with thankless toil, and fret, and strife,

’ The statesman old in duty s cause forespent,

At fall of night, now sits with body bent,

To scan the open volume of his life :

’ There, vile detraction s tongue, with rancour rife,

And envy ’s bitter gibe of discontent

’ He sees, and here his honour s robe is rent

By cruel faction, armed with hostile knife

He sees his purest motives misconstrued

-sacrifice - : Self , as cold self service blamed

His spotless hands appear with guilt imbrued

m i f His actions fair, by al ce alse defamed :

" h Alas he sighs, that trut and rectitude

Show thus to eyes by party strife inflamed. IN ABSENCE

sea DIVIDED so, by land and ,

What can I do but mourn ?

No sight or sound can gladden

Till you, sweet love, return .

a- -a- ' Slow creep the hours, well way

They flew when you were here

Alas, I cannot sing or play

When parted from you, dear.

The sunny light of your dear eyes

On me no longer shine,

So my poor heart within me dies,

As here I sit and pine. IN ABSENCE

I think of you by day and night

A me nd sigh return to ,

’ r h For, dear, I know Decembe s blig t

pass when you I see.

THINKING OF DAYS DEPARTED

H NK N of a s a ed T I I G d y dep rt ,

Mine eyes with tears are wet

" w - A a h then you ere true "he rted, My only love, Lisette

I can recall the gladness

a Th t thrilled us when we met,

Ere, in a sea of sadness,

sun My of joy had set .

vo a Our ws, m de by the river,

Can ou a a " y , l s forget ?

When in my heart forever

a e a f n r r Sh ll dw ll o d eg et . THINKING OF DAYS DEPARTED 99

0 while my soul is burning

With love for you, Lisette,

This thought will keep returning W e may be happy yet . ALMIGHTY LOVE

ALMIGHTY Love "wh at potent spell is thine ?

’ O er high and low alike thou dost prevail :

r e m a Against thy cha m no fence is link d il ,

- r v " e Heaven aided, youthful conqu ro di ine

Thy charm subdues all hearts like festal wine

e d a e Prince, knight, and squire, the sh pherd of the l ,

Poor village maid and high -born lady pale

Alike in captive bands thou dost entwine .

’ Great chiefs in olden time thou hast o erth rown

m m Achilles, first in ar s, confessed thy ight,

am m m And Ag e non , boldest dee ed in fight,

By thee was sped, and did thy conquest own

’ 0 strong and valiant Love "the victor s right

’ — n Is thine to reign o er hearts supreme alo e .

O O O H W LONE , H W DARK, H W DREARY

I ’ll keep this ring for token

That lips may lie and smile

Were all his vows but spoken

A poor maid to beguile ?

m d en So mourned a pensive ai ,

Beneath a willow tree :

was r Her heart sor ow laden ,

w And pale and wan as sh e .

r A lover false ab aiding,

Her breath away she sighed,

And, like a lily fading,

She hung h er head and died . THE SOUNDING TITLE GREAT

THE sounding title Great we give to men

’ Who sat enthroned on Battle s iron car,

And made this world a waste with bloody war

land t We and celebrate, by ongue and pen,

Such as from Tiber deep and shallow Seine

f Spread horror, death, and desolation ar

And wide, and shook this world with fear : such

The idols we adore. Why do we then

The deeds of victors proud thus magnify ?

Do they deserve our gratitude and praise

For benefactions poured on poor mankind ?

When brass and marble monuments we raise,

m Their name and fame to me orise thereby,

Are we not to their deeds inhuman blind ? THE SUN YET BEARS TYRANNIC SWAY

THE sun yet bears tyrannic sway

Still, still he throws

’ O er yonder hill a dazzling ray

How I do long for gloaming grey

No mortal knows .

0 why does he so long delay

To seek repose

Within his tent in yonder bay ?

At last "the eyelids of the day

Begin to close .

YE SHALL REAP AS YE HAVE SOWN

WE live as if our fate were all unknown,

And yet each one is set to till a field

f That shall herea ter joy or sorrow yield,

F r o every one shall reap as he hath sown .

Blest he whose plot is fair to look upon

And happy he who would have nought concealed

From Him to whom all secrets are revealed

’ - s . On earth, as in the heaven s star Pangled zone

Alas "for all who come with empty hands

And looks downcast before the Master, when

He sits within the vineyard to receive

Account of how each one hath tilled His land s .

e t The wast d past, hey shall discover then ,

r Is very hard and painful to ret ieve . DISCONSOLATE

A LL beauty from this earth has fled "

All perfume from the rose

I live unsunned, uncomforted,

My full heart overflows

To aching eyes bedim med with tears

Th is world a desert wide appears .

The lady for whose sake I sigh

No smile on m e bestows

Unmoved, unheeding passes by

The cause of all my woes

"h r Alas e coldness and disdain

n Make fervid prayer and pleading va . 1 08 DISCONSOLATE

h r To me, so sad, so sick of ea t,

Time unregarded goes

My only wish is to depart,

And in death find repose

Beneath the daisies fain would I

Forgetful of all sorrows lie.

ALMIGHTY GOD "ENTHRONED ON HIGH

I " ALM GHTY God enthroned on high,

m " Divine, i mortal Love

With heart and voice we magnify

Thy name all names above

With confidence we come to Thee

m Trusting in Thy cle ency.

Immo rtal Love "0 dearest name

m r We o tals know Thee by,

Thou wilt not put our souls to shame

we When to Thee draw nigh ,

Confessing how unworthy we

Are of Thy great clemency . ALMIGHTY GOD "ENTHRONED ON HIGH

0 Father "when to Thee we cry

In our forlorn distress,

Lamenting sore with moan and sigh

All our unworthiness

Our shortcoming Thou wilt not see

In Thy gracious clemency. WASTEFUL NATURE

h s NATURE, in seeming waste, her treasure s ower

: - Broadcast the springtide, splendour laden trees

Bear lavish h Op e of broidered canopies

m - Frail infant ger s of balm exhaling flowers .

a How few, of m ny, live to grace the bowers,

And whisper love tones to the wooing breeze,

Or list the m urmuring of belted bees

’ r- e n Thro summe vestur d, jocund, laughi g hours

e Her best she s ems to cast away in scorn .

’ a 0 think of Ke ts, by death untimely ta en ,

n h is - m r I all jubilant exultant o n ,

en em Ere yet his p had gleaned his te ing brain,

n e n Or gar ers held, full stored, his rip ned grai

’ So from life s tree are leaves untimely torn .

I KNOW A MAIDEN FAIR AND SWEET

h flower- r W en cometh apparelled sp ing,

n And bonny birds do merry si g,

Then happy wedding bells will ring,

And mine she will be . BURIAL IN MID-OCEAN

UPON th e deck our comrade sat three days

: now Ago mournfully, now mute we stand

Round his flag-shrouded bier : the heavy hand

’ Of death has laid him low. The sun s bright rays

sea Gild all the , the welkin is ablaze

as With morning light, he who bears command

a Repe ts that service for the dead, from land

Remote prepared : his trembling voice betrays

The beating of his heart . Now, at a sign,

m The corse is cast into the whel ing deep,

To lie in dreamless, everlasting sleep,

Encompassed round by cold, unmoving brine

ne ou r r So solemn is the sce , b eath we keep,

a Oppressed by thoughts we c nnot well define . RONDEL

O SHALL we never meet

r ? Again , my love, Leno e

I walk the lonely shore

And your dear name repeat .

a w " Come forth, my l dy s eet

Sad is my heart and sore

0 shall we never meet

e r Again, my lov , Leno e .

’ m eet Think, dear, ti e s foot is fl

’ The spring will soon be o er,

And hours return no more

e That fly with wing d feet,

0 shall we never meet ?

LAURA TO ME

R O N D EA U

LAURA to me of womankind

e Is fairest, swe test, most refined

Her crimson cheek outvies the rose,

ma And she is graced, you y suppose,

r With every cha m of heart and mind.

Yes, all the graces are combined

In her, for whom I so long pined,

For dressed in sweet perfection shows

Laura to me .

Her beauty comes no whit behind

The lilies wooed by summer Wind

She is the fairest flower that blows,

An d row , day by day, more lovely g s

I thank my stars that so consigned

Laura to me . THE UNSEEN UNIVERSE

U S A NIVER E unseen around us lies,

From whence this visible creation came

III rushing whirlwinds of tempestuous flame "

m At first a fiery ist, it filled the skies,

’ r And after condensed into night s b ight eyes .

m This grand, this glea ing constellated frame

"Weak words are all inadequate to name , )

Sprang into being in this wondrous wise .

m When time shall be no ore, into that vast

Eternal realm unseen shall all return,

For sun and star with fire shall cease to burn,

And they shall to the void again be cast .

- So far as clear eyed science can discern,

m This fate shall overtake the all at last. BALLADE OF YOUTH

U r YO TH car ies high his careless head,

’ With hope s garland his brow is crowned,

A glory seems on all things shed

a As joyously he looks round,

And proudly steps, as to the sound

Of trumpets that proclaim his praise :

Yet recks not of this truth profound,

’ Youth s rosy hope fell time betrays .

’ h im flower- To life s path seems spread,

This earth appears enchanted ground "

With buoyant heart he longs to tread

Where love and laughing joys abound

A THUNDERSTORM

LO i n " C UD piled on cloud, a w ld, appalli g sky

Em battled armies bent on deadly fight

m . v " They see Behold that ivid flash of light

’ n Now thu ders loud heaven s dread artillery .

r e r t e a These iv n sh eds, hes t ttered ensigns fly

Before a st ricken host in fearful flight

0 list "agai n they close "the vault of night

- In horror echoes their loud battle cry .

now on r e en th e e Now, ea th d sc ds voll yed hail,

As warring host with host renews th e fire

t t a r i ir . ar Now sab es flash n a 0 he ha w il ,

ar a ra r As , in the c n ge red, whole nks expi e

c an war- w r n and e Vi tor and v quished now, o pal ,

r a e r en ret re . To b e the a spac , in b ok files i THE SAILOR ’S WIFE

IN e e sea a rud cot b side the ,

’ e A sailor s wif kneels piously,

And prays the Pityful to keep

Her loving husband on th e deep

From all its rage and cruelty.

e n e e Besid her k e ls a littl child,

e as n und efiled Pur an a gel, " Sh e m rm r ar u u s, D ling, say your prayer

‘ in ar Keep father your watchful c e,

0 e e e m e . g ntl J sus, e k and mild THE SAILOR’S WIFE

r Lo d, you can still the stormy wave,

f ’ So, ather dear from danger save .

They little knew that as they spoke

m The angry winds fro sleep awoke,

And laid the sailor in his grave .

HAPPY BYGONE DAYS

S " CEA E, little birds, to sing

Sad memories you bring

To me of happy, happy bygone days

I loved a maiden fair,

And then I filled the air

’ With melody in blushing beauty s praise .

You know the lovely rose

That by the river blows

As beautiful was my fair love to see

Her voice was low and sweet

a Like yours when you repe t,

In twilight shades, true vows of constancy. HAPPY BYGONE DAYS

r You see the oses fade,

And on their deathbeds laid "

’ So passed my love away in beauty s pride

Under the daisies white

’ Cold lies my heart s delight, " And 0 that I were lying by her side

No more to m e shall spring

Solace or comfort bring :

This world is now to me so dark and drear

Cold winter from my heart

Shall never more depart

’ Alas "with me tis winter all the year . GOD IN NATURE

TH E l r e solemn , si ent, a ch d woodland ways,

And shady slopes beside t h e babbling rills

’ ere r ff Wh , to sp ing s piping, dance the da odils,

A nd r e happy song bi ds warbl jocund lays,

Are now in n i as the a t que golden days,

Haunted by Deity : whose spirit fills

a r th e The e rth , whose garments trail ac oss hills,

Whose glory shineth in t h e noontide rays .

’ r Altho we see no d yad in the wood,

Nor r a a n r am eve n i d resti g by the st e ,

Yet do we feel there is a spi rit good

Abiding with us still : now as of old .

In all n ure we ma e thi gs p and fair, y b hold

r A revelation of the Power Sup em e .

I 30 LOVELY ISABEL

Blooms such a sweet and lovely rose

As Isabel .

are f r Roses, I own, sweet and ai ,

m But none with my love may co pare .

Let each one boast of his fair queen

Yet I know well,

’ So sweet a damsel ne er was seen

e Disporting on the village gr en ,

n Arrayed in robes of silken shee ,

As Isabel .

’ O she is crowned with beauty s dower

w Beyond all maids in hall or bo er . THE LIGHT OF TRUTH " SING, O my soul a song of thanks and praise

n r To God Almighty cha t a joyful st ain,

’ e r For He hath set the free f om error s chain ,

’ f - And shed on thee truth s li e reviving rays .

a ft Long h st thou dri ed in a blinding haze,

r Striving to each safe anchorage, in vain "

Like some pale mariner upon the main

are When reefs nigh, and mists obscure his gaze,

For thee, again , the sun doth brightly shine,

Making this unive rse all beautiful :

N0 r a mo e ch otic, but controlled by rule,

And ordered by intelligent design :

r A schola , thou hast put thyself to school ,

To learn of Him, the Master Mind Divine. MILICENT

To you the graces three have lent

Each lovely charm and favour sweet "

So many wooers at your feet

a Shall honeyed vows of love repe t,

And sigh for your sake, Milicent .

l " And some, a as in discontent

e e Will gri ve, whom you, in prid , dismiss

WIS But he will know delight, I ,

k Who does your taper fingers iss,

And wins your favour, Milicent .

GOD IS LOVE

IN this dark hour 0 strive to realise

G d : off That o is love shake distrust and fear,

me And, rai nted in simple faith, draw near

The heavenly throne : look with confiding eyes

To Him who does in pity sympathise

r : er With you in sor ow be of happy che ,

n r For things are o as they to you appear,

But all is ordered by One good and wise .

The grief we feel so painful to endure

i fire What is it, fr end, but a refining

To make our spirits beautiful and pure ?

Our heavenly Father never yet, in ire,

e woe : S nt to you or me of this be sure,

Our weal eternal is His one desire . BELINDA’S CHARMS

’ BELINDA S charms and graces might

Enchant th e coldest anchorite

Imagine what her witchery

Has made of such a slave as me,

Who dote unto idolatry "

Her winning wiles and witching smiles

Fill my fancy day and night .

’ She s fairer far than flowers of May

m When si ply clad in russet grey,

t But when a tired in all her best,

Her beauty cannot be expressed

In metaphors by fancy dressed :

t Then , hen I feel, I long to kneel

At her feet and own her sway . TO BURNS

WITH you the gentle Muse was never sh y "

Full oft by bonny Doon, at evening glow,

’ She made your heart with melody o erflow

In rippling rills of song and laughter sly .

’ Tones, tender as the parting lover s sigh,

' She taught your tongue to syllable "and lo

To every clime, where pines are draped in snow,

And where tall palm trees wave wide plumes on high,

and u Your music has been wafted, yo r fame

To every port where ships at anchor swing.

’ Tho long departed hence, your hallowed name

as m r Is dear to us me ories of sp ing,

ll And this, because your soul was a on flame

With sympathy for every living thing.

I 38 MEMORIES

t Long hours wi h you I spent,

Sharing your sweet content

" . m e Ah, your very thoughts I could divine

Wh at song is that ? O hark "

It is the joyous lark,

Hailing th e dawn with merry melody :

In fancy I behold

’ e d Heaven s golden gat unfol ,

b w And cheru im ithin I seem to see .

The lonely wood and wold

m e t e To s range stori s told,

e Enchanting tal s of joy, and chilling fear,

m The cla our of the rooks,

The murmur of the brooks,

And sighing pines, as then, I seem to hear . MEMORI ES

The hill again I climb,

As in the olden time,

And seem to watch the white winged ships

f In ancy, I pursue

Their flight across the blue

’ n l d s A d g eaming ocean s wi e immen ity,

To sunny tropic isles,

e e Where summer v r smiles,

A nd mirth and innocence together dance

And sing for pure delight

From morning until night ,

And life is spent in tender dalliance.

e f Swe t love, to ancy keen ,

e Then seemed a fairy qu en,

W t i h shining locks of gold, and cheeks as fair l 4o MEMORIES

’ As Op ning roses spread

Upon a dewy bed,

and . And ruby lips , like cherries, ripe rare

Tho’ summer has gone past

waneth And autumn fast,

In reverie I seem to live again

e Thos hours of past delight,

a o That long g took flight,

’ And rest afar on Time s eternal main .

When winter draweth nigh

l With si ent step, may I ,

t Unchilled in heart, of you h and joyance sing

O surely it is good

To cheer decrepitude

With sweet and sunny memories of spring .

1 42 THE CREED OF MANY

m Perchance their children, sunk in deep dis ay,

ff Who su er awful and unending woes .

II .

They do not think this to be true indeed

’ e -sacrifice a In pur self they d gl dly die,

And even forfeit bliss in yonder sky

’ If so they might their children s welfare speed .

Would not their tender hearts in pity bleed

e If they beli ved the babes, that smiling lie

m Upon their boso s, were destined to sigh

e woe ? In endl ss , according to this creed

In paradise could they be happy, when Their b"est and dearest moaned in some dark den ? ? Ah, no what peace, what rest could they enjoy

’ A mother s yearning love no power can quell,

And, rather than forsake her darling boy,

i ’ h m . She would keep near , tho it were in hell TO DRE AM OF YOU

RONDEA U

To r m not d ea of you, I need say,

Gi ves me delight : among the hay

I love to lie when skies are blue,

And let my fantasy pursue

A charming, sweet, and lovely fay .

0 you are fairer far than May

robed in flowery garments gay "

h as My joy been, the summer through,

To dream of you .

Th ink how we used to sport and play

From rosy dawn to gloaming grey "

O when shall we those joys renew,

That absence cannot all subdue ?

It is my bliss, by night and day,

To dream of you . LIFE’S WARFARE AND DEFEAT

’ I t e e T ME was when pi y s tear would drown mine y ,

’ m And sorrow s moan escape y lips, to hear

t That silent death , wi h sudden step, drew near

And smote some one ere he had time to cry,

0 God "on Thy compassion I rely "

Nor space wherein to shed one parting tear

e On quitting all we men account most d ar,

Nor time to make lament that he must die .

But now I count him happy so to meet

The silent friend who comes to still the fret

A nd a e t strife, that like enr g d billows bea " ’ t Around life s human shores . With no regre

Shall I go forth "I wish but to forget

’ Life s weary warfare ending in defeat .

KEATS

SINGER of Endymion "the melody

’ Of thy sweet song has charmed old England s ears

Since thou wert high enthroned amid thy peers,

Elate upon the starry height . Of thee

" m We think, e alted where i mortals be,

Crowned with unfading leaves . Regretful tears

Albion shed when fate’s dread iron shears

Cut thy lute strings and stilled thy minstrelsy .

Thy strain conjures a dream of blissful bowers

Wherein Apollo and the Muses sing,

And meadows, dressed in fair apparelling,

Where dance the rose-enwreathed laughing hours "

men v s And days when were dear to hea enly power ,

’ In the fresh beauty of this world s fair spring . ALICE LEE

WITHIN the shade of yonder glade

Lives gentle Alice Lee :

Sweet is her voice as viols played

By night upon the sea

’ Love s glamour gleams in her blue eyes "

Her crimson cheek the rose outvies

Most beautiful is she .

In her footfall the flowers all

In wood and meadow spring

The bonny birds hold festival,

And in her honour sing :

’ r Attired in beauty s best ar ay,

Th e - love sick winds about her play,

And odours round her fling. 1 48 ALICE LEE

e Never, I w en, was maiden seen

So sweet and debonair

When dancing on the village green

None may with her compare

Th e damsels , one and all, grow pale

With envy when sh e lifts her veil " h ow and i And sigh , sweet fa r

FAIRER FAR THAN MAY

O YOU are fairer far than May

When crowned with flowery garlands gay,

in And robed all her rich array.

’ Yes, lovelier than summer s rose

s When, in her pride, she blushing blow

With in the sheltered garden close.

Th e sunny tresses that enfold

Your snow-white throat of lovely mould

Do glisten like the marigold .

th e Your eyes are like violet,

’ With morning s dewy teardrops wet,

But deeper, bluer, softer yet . FAIRER FAR THAN MAY 1 5 1

’ ’ th e Tho you have all lily s grace,

And queenly bearing, yet no trace

Of pride shows in your lovely face.

Still oth er flowers I might compare

ou but bear " To y , my love, I for

n h are d n fai . E oug , you ivi ely r POESY

S S m TREA URE of beauty, consu mate in grace,

The climbers of Parnassus’ flowery hill

Have piled for us to open at our will

we cl Books, wherein , at ease re ined, may trace

The path which led them to that sacred place,

Haunted by shapes divine "where linger still

Echoes of old delight by , grove and rill,

’ ' And beauty s footprints time may not eflace.

It is a joy through fairyland to rove,

And in that golden realm of high romance,

By honey-tongued old bards accompanied :

To hearken tales of chivalry and love :

Of doughty deeds and tender dalliance

Tales beautiful of days and hours long fled .

WHAT I F I SHOULD STEAL A KISS

Was taken with a crimson blush,

0 not of dire displeasure :

And as for me, I felt a rush

Of joy beyond all measure .

f m My li e is one delightful drea ,

’ Since Dora s lips I tasted :

" m Ah, me in paradise I see ,

And time till now was wasted . THE LAW OF LOVE

IE law we w r to the of love e e inclined,

All men might sit with peaceful garlands crowned,

And see their merry children sport around

In jollity and gladness unconfined .

r s E n l e i As ha p olia , p ay d by the w nd,

h e Awaken armonies of pl asing sound,

So sh all the heartstrings everywhere be found

To chime responsively to accents kind .

’ t Man s bet er nature sleeps, but will awake

And burgeon like the tender flowers of spring "

’ The tender blooms from winter s clasp set free .

When airs of love, and dews of pity make

O —h His heart to pen t en, as roses fling

— ’ Their sweets into the air so e en will he . SPRING

IN death ’s dark slumber winter lies

On th e bier "

s And jocund spring, with azure eye ,

Now is here

Sunshine glimmers in her tresses "

" h s e See in flowery garb dresses,

And her very smile expresses

Happy cheer .

Every tree is in full bloom "

Now do they

Fill all the air with sweet perfume,

Night and day

MIN ISTERING SPIRITS

’ TI o en i a s ad S told, from ld t me, th t pirits tre

T his earth apparelled in celestial light

But now the heavy mist that veils our sight

H olds them invisible . Yet are we led

By loving hands unseen, and comforted

By angel help : could we but see aright

T hey guard and guide us both by day and night "

And holy influence around us shed .

i " e Friends, pass d within the sacred inner shr ne

Help us to walk the path of duty now,

‘ we That may join the song of love divine,

i And stand w th unabashed, unclouded brow

m e Among the heavenly host, whose gar ents shin "

Whose heads in holy adoration bow . THE HEAVEN ’S STARRED FACE

m AGAIN, in deep a aze,

’ On night s starred face we gaze,

’ And ask what mean those glories high o ersp read ?

" , uestion we make ever

Answer cometh never

u We g ess replies, by idle fancy led .

Ye glancing shafts of light

That gleam athwart the night,

Portend ye weel or woe to this fair world ?

me Are ye an ar d band,

h With each a lance in and,

Moving in ranks with banners bright unfurled ? ’ 160 THE HEAVEN S STARRED FACE

0 shall we never sound

The mystery profound

’ Why thus ye march in silence o er the sky ?

To what proud martial chime

m m e , Tread ye in easured ti

' eflul ent ? Clad in g , dazzling panoply

Are ye all angels fair,

Sporting in fields of air

Singing glad songs of joy and anthems clear ?

On sapphire pinions bright,

Praise ye the Lord of Light

In symphonies unheard by mortal ear ?

Is each a white-robed saint

Who soothed the sad and faint,

And sin-polluted mortals purified ?

For they who many turn

To righteousness , do burn

Like stars in heaven, forever glorified .

’ 1 62 THE HEAVEN S STARRED FACE

And He, the Lord of Light,

And all transcendent might "

By all the heavenly host attended round

The Great Intelligence,

Benefic nc Love, and e e,

In majesty and sovereign glory crowned . DO HEAVENLY POWERS REGARD US

FROM ON HIGH

Do heavenly powers regard us from on high,

r ? And, all unmoved, see hea ts in anguish bleed

Are they compassionate, and kind indeed ?

In our bewilderment we sadly cry

if Yet, in our hearts, faith decline and die,

h f What manna s all we find whereon to eed,

Or consolation in that hour of need

When sorrow spreads the couch on wh ich we lie ?

" l e Alas how many morta s groan and gri ve,

By hunger sore distressed, and heavy care,

Who call for help, but answer none receive,

Who sink at last in seas of dark despair "

That He is not to blame, we must believe,

m t Who ade this teeming ear h divinely fair. LOVE’S LAUGHING SPORT

R O N D E A U

’ S LOVE laughing sport, in wondrous wise,

’ I see in Maud s bewitching eyes :

Her lips, provoking, taunting foes,

m m e Pout ock displeasure at y wo s,

l But wel I see through her disguise .

First she allures, then laughing, flies,

And every favour m e denies

Yet in each glance she plainly shows

’ Love s laughing sport.

Then saucy looks and arch replies

e Give plac , anon , to gentle sighs "

ch eck And on her will flush the rose,

A hue that tender thoughts disclose

Now in this teasing parley lies

’ Love s laughing sport .

A SONG OF PRAISE

BEYOND imagination great

Art Thou , Almighty King

Of heaven and earth "0 consecrate

Our lips Thy praise to si ng .

The orb of day at Thy command

e ru n h is Aros to race ,

And stars are scattered by Thy hand

’ O er boundless fields of space .

Yet every twi nkling lamp of night

In glory doth excel

The sun th at gilds with splendour bright

w This orb on which e dwell . A SONG OF PRAISE 167

In orbits past all measure wide

North, south, and east, and west,

u With nimagined speed they glide,

Fulfilling Thy behest .

A gulf so vast between us lies

And their amazing flight,

They seem to our bewildered eyes

But fixed points of light .

Their mazy motions who can trace

u u " But Tho , in thought s blime

we In vain try to fathom space,

sea t Or sound the of ime .

far t e Far, beyond the u most r ach

Of thought extends Thy care "

How impotent is hum an speech

Thy glo ry to declare " 1 68 A SONG OF PRAISE

' Attired in robes of daflodil

r And ose, the sun doth rise

t o Thy gracious purpose fulfil ,

And gladden all our eyes .

What glories, Lord, Thou dost unfold

What splendour in the west,

When on his curtained couch of gold

su n The sinks down to rest .

With loveliness Thou hast arrayed

This earth : in flower and tree

Infinite beauties are displayed,

Almighty God, by Thee .

The infinitely great and small

r Alike Thy power p oclaim ,

And wisdom is revealed in all

’ m m Creation s ighty fra e .

THE POETS

TH E great and good , the beautiful and true,

In melodies delightful sweet bards sing,

e And so, befor the inward vision bring

Dream pictures, fairer far than hand ere drew

e Th y robe unheeded things in splendour new,

And on life ’s overclouded pathway fling

The sunny smile of care-dispelling spring

- Heart healing joys that never bid adieu .

e and Glori s, that gleam on ocean , earth , sky,

ma Which only quickened senses y behold,

a And radiant realms, conceived in f ntasy,

To our awakened wonder they unfold "

Our heavy eyes they open to descry

e In common things a hidd n heart of gold . WHAT IF I SHOULD STEAL A KISS

VI LLANELLE

WHAT if I should steal a kiss

From bewitching little Rose

Will she take it much amiss ?

Now, the question comes to this,

e Ere she says adi u and goes,

What if I should steal a kiss ? " 0 it would be honey bliss

? Shall I , and at once propose

Will she take it much amiss ? 1 72 WHAT IF I SHOULD STEAL A KISS

n wis Lovers do such thi gs, I ,

’ And with love my heart o erflows

What if I should steal a kiss ?

m Shall I say with e phasis,

n u " Darli g, th s I end my woes

Will she take it much amiss ?

Now I stand by an abyss, — Is it wise to plunge who knows ?

h W at if I should steal a kiss,

Will she take it much amiss ?

WHO COULD THINK, WHEN FIRST

M ET

WHO we could think, when once met,

Our love bond would sever ?

’ t That we d par with faint regret,

? Who could think, when once we met

" a 0 dear God your eyes re wet

Part, then , shall we never

we Who could think, when once met,

We would fall out ever ? " Love, 0 love let us forget

All but words of kindness

m In cal days "before us set, Love, 0 love let us forget WHEN FIRST WE MET l 75

All that caused this jar and fret " All my fatal"blindness Love, 0 love let us

All but words of kindness . OUR PASTOR

U R O pastor, like that rugged prophet sent

’ s Of old, God s kingdom to proclaim , with eye

Uplit with sacred fire, unceasing cries,

Ye dwellers upon earth, repent, repent

And turn from evil ways "be ye content

n To render life in willi g sacrifice,

That in its flame your purged souls may rise

: To God in patience bear His chastisement,

H n O hearken to is word, and seek to lear

h His law, lest into snares of ell ye fall

m a n The narrow path you y not well discer ,

’ ’ He Nor mid life s tumult hear, tho loud call

Strive evermore the heavenly mead to earn ,

And let no earthly tie the soul enthral .

1 78 WINTER AND SPRING

When wilt thou come,

O Spring : and in the bowers

Awake the sleeping flowers ?

The drowsy hum

a Of belted bees I long to he r,

And song-birds all to me are dear

0 sweet spring : come . WH ITHER, O WHITHER

I e O WH THER hasten all our yest rdays,

And where has flown the perfume of the rose,

The sweet perfume that filled the garden close

a A week ago We ask in deep am ze,

Where fly the joys that glad, and griefs that craze

’ Man s heaving heart and beating brain who

knows

Upon what shore time’s rushing river throws

The dust and ruin of life’s broad highways ?

Is life a dream, and are we phantoms all

Who wake and sleep on this revolving ball,

As day and night alternately prevail ?

h o can 0 w read the riddle of this life,

So full of aching sorrow, rage, and strife,

m And all the woes that ortals here assail . E O LORD, I CRY TO THE

O LORD, I cry to Thee,

Be ever near to me,

Close by my side

Bewildered, faint, dismayed,

I fail without Thine aid

Be Thou my gu ide .

In darkness and in dread,

With stumbling feet I tread

Lead me aright " W hen Faith and Hope do fail,

A nd doubts my soul assail ,

Lend me Thy light .

ANNETTE

’ S r DROW ED by midsumme s balmy air,

e : Annette, my love r poses

0 t r she is ende , sweet, and fair,

’ And dreams not yet of winter s care

r r Dea hea t, of evil unaware,

She sleeps embowered with roses

My love, attired in beauty rare,

e In fragrant sleep r poses .

A fairer flower than sweet Annette

Its petals ne’er uncloses

ar Her eyes e like the violet,

’ With morning s dewy tear-drops wet ANNETTE 1 83

In her have all the beauties met

You see in Spring-culled posies

More beautiful is my Annette

m ’ Than su mer s fairest rose is . OF ONE ETERNAL POWER SPEAK ALL

THE CREEDS

FROM mosque, and synagogue, and forest fane,

High church and chapel prayers to God arise "

l Who, then , dare say his brother ca ls in vain

To that blue dome where h Ope and healing lies

- f To one All Father throned in bliss ul skies,

f Ascends rom every land this plaintive strain ,

" " m To Thee, O Lord we lift i ploring eyes,

Thy succour send, Thy blessing on us rain .

Of one Eternal Power speak all the creeds,

And pious lips find fitting words to say

When seeking guidance on the rugged way

That to the golden gate of glory leads

a God he rs, alike, the cry of all who pray,

f And with the bread of li e all mankind feeds .

1 86 LOVE AND LANGUISHMENT

There, best and sweetest lady mine,

Shall we our tender vows renew,

And drain the cup of life’s glad wine

it Like lovers fond, and tried, and tr e

v - Come, come, 0 lo e, to night,

And we shall drink delight . FAITH AND WORKS " " I " FA TH without works is dead , yea, that is true

Of what avail is this or that man’s creed

If it show not in kindly word or deed

If heart and soul it faileth to imbue

With charity ? As falls refreshing dew

On drooping flower and thirsting wayside weed,

So be ye ministers of grace : take heed

That love and pity both abide in you .

e By their works ye shall know th m , hath been

said

ne Of old, by O divinely wise and good

are And blest they who, by His guidance led

Walk duty’s rugged path in joyous mood

That path wherein who so devoutly tread

Shall in the end attain beatitude . A A MY LADY F IR, RISE

MY "" lady fair, arise arise

The day begins to break ,

And bonny birds on every tree

For thee blithe music make

i The flowers , attired in lovely gu se,

From golden dreams awake "

Like me, they are in love with thee

And languish for thy sake .

" i Come forth and all the world surpr se,

In beauty’s vesture dight

Thy coming forth is like the spring,

Thy smile like sunshine bright

CHANTICLEER

O CHANTICLEER "your clarion loud and shrill

Drives gentle sleep away in wild aflrigh t

a One hour he st yed, but now has taken flight,

e r clanIou r Scar d by your piercing din . You still,

I beg of you "let silence reign until

f - The air sun god has risen in his might,

s And, clothed in majesty, ascend the height

' - fl - o . Of yonder far , pine clad eastern hill

all What do you ail at sleep, that so soon

From his embrace impatiently you break ?

me His solace is to a precious boon,

Who lie with fevered lids long hours awake "

" m O bird of dawn I pray you, for y sake,

’ Sound not your trumpet till the day s high noon . MOLLY BAWN

MY lady love is fair

As the dawn

Bewitching, debonair,

And sweet beyond compare,

Is radiant and rare

Molly Bawn .

e Fl et is her step, and light

As the fawn .

To save from sorrow’s blight

The maid wh o charms my sight,

My soul in fate’s despite

I would pawn . 1 92 MOLLY BAWN

Within a green retreat,

Near h e ‘ lawn ,

This evening we will meet "

Then , then shall I repeat

My vows of love to sweet

Molly Bawn .

WHEN HOPE LIES DEAD

RONDEAU

N WHE Hope lies dead, a chilling blight

n O heart and spirit seems to light .

Ah, then , unsunned, uncomforted,

’ Along life s lonely path we tread

Toward the silent realm of night .

No more, attired in garments bright,

The sun comes forth to bless our sight

All beauty from the earth seems fled

When Hope lies dead .

f With ate no more we care to fight,

f But, looking not to le t or right,

We walk as if by sorrow led

Into the darkness which we dread

A can h, nought cheer the drooping spright

When Hope lies dead . IS OBLIVION THE END

IF 0 wh dark oblivion ends all, y

’ Should we desire to play the hero s part,

’ And count the golden gains of this world s mart

As undeserving of one wish or sigh ?

a e tr And yet, from youth to g we fondly y

To scale the heights of learning and of art "

m We cli b unweariedly, with beating heart,

’ ’ Altho the shining peaks we ne er come nigh .

T h e golden hope of yesterday attained

Is u nsufficing to intense desire "

And each proud peak of envied knowledge gained

S aflame : hows grander heights, with heavenly fire

Were it not waste if toil so long sustained

And all its gain is lost when we expire ? SPRING

V I L LA N E LLE

NOW bonny birds glad songs repeat

And earth attires in garments gay

Your fond return , fair spring, to greet .

e Each throbbing heart, with joy repl te ,

e D lighted, owns your gentle sway,

And bonny birds glad songs repeat .

Yes, all things charming, young, and sweet.

Unfold their beauties for display,

r . Your fond return , fair spring, to g eet

On grassy hills white lambkins bleat

And frisk, and sport the livelong day

n While bon y birds glad songs repeat .

THE BURIED PAST

WHO i , in imag nation , can array

The pomp and pageant of the buried past "

’ 01 tell the mould wherein man s frame was cast

Ere yet his lips had learned to lie and pray ?

We see obscurely, but a little way

d im a Adown the aisle of time, so and v st "

f ’ And we, who follow in li e s pageant last

Of vanward files, find not a word to say .

O ’er this wide-spreading earth in ruins lie

Memorials of old, forgotten days,

f Wherein great empires rose to might, and ell

Kingdoms, whose very names no tongue can tell,

’ o u L om , like dim shadows, through time s az re

haze "

Pale phantoms of dead ages long gone by . VIOLET AND LILY FAIR

O VIOLET and lily fair "

a My love with you I may comp re,

For sweet and pure is she,

And like the roses in her hair,

My queen is robed in beauty rare,

As you may plainly see :

But poor is language to express

All her consummate loveliness .

a Speak not of pinks and d isies white,

’ For both in my love s cheek unite,

With blushing roses red

’ t My queen, my love, my heart s deligh VIOLET AND LILY FAIR

f Is in complete per ection dight,

When all is sung and said

For she in beauty fairer shows,

Than daisy, violet, and rose .

BEYOND THE VEIL

RONDEL

BEYOND the veil, what realms may lie,

Of radiant joy or sorrow pale,

ma we We know not yet, nor y pry

Beyond the veil .

There be some tell a woeful tale

m Of souls conde ned to moan and sigh,

In regions of eternal bale .

We look for joys that never die,

And peace that care may not assail

’ We look with hope s unclouded eye

Beyond the veil . IS THERE MIRTH IN HEAVEN ?

How ? fares poor Yorick now in days of yore,

The royal Dane and all his court would laugh

At his mad wit : does he wander now half

’ ? Sad, a silent ghost, time s eternal shore

Does that mirth-loving spirit now no more

' ch afl Awake the echoes with his merry ,

’ ' u fl And Comus cup in wild abandon q a ,

As when he set the table on a roar ?

Some say the denizens of regions fair

In high solemnities find sole employ

If this be so, the cup of bliss, I swear,

On laughing lips at last will pall and cloy

Can life to them seem full and perfect there

If lacking laughter and all frolic joy ? MY " OF UEEN BEAUTY

NOW dainty dew-impearled flowers

Line every woodland way,

The small birds sing in leafy bowers,

So glad of heart are they .

0 come, and be the pleasure ours

In vocal glades to stray "

And o’er our heads white petal showers

Will fall in scented spray .

’ - m I ll pluck you May bloo s, pink and white,

To wreathe in your brown hair "

My queen of beauty and delight,

’ I ll crown you , dear, and there

THE SPIRIT GIVETH LIFE

" IT e l hath b en said of old, The etter kills, " The spirit giveth life . Oft, when abroad

I walk alone, I hear the voice of God

In melting melody that floating fills

l The leafy glen, and ingers on the hills .

I see Him in the daisy, goldenrod,

And every simple flower that gems the sod,

m And, in this sweet co munion, my soul thrills

r With adoration . F iend, if we obey

The law of love, and be in soul sincere,

The sable garb of formal trim we may

m Discard, and walk in joyous freedo here

It is enough if we, in simple sooth,

C ommune with God in spirit and in truth . A WILLING SLAVE

RONDEAU

’ I I l h ear A W LL NG s ave, I d gladly

The yoke imposed by one so fair

Ah, never beauty famed of old

Was cast in so divine a mould

As sh e who causes all my care . " 0 tides of hope and dark despair" O fears that whisper, sir, beware

I hesitate to cry behold

A Willing slave .

Will she put on a summer air

When I my secret soul declare ?

Or make reply in accents cold

When I my true love-tale have told ?

0 she could bind wi th one long hair

l A wil i ng slave . DECEITFUL HOPE

I F L " DECE T U Hope Ah , whither have you fled ?

No more you flatter me, no more you sing

ea Of laughing joys that walk in ways flower spr d,

’ As once you sang in life s exultant spring.

Since then , to sorrow pale, have I been wed,

And she to me does cleave and closely cling

’ on a a As life s p th toward the west I tre d,

r No will she leave me t ill my curfew ring .

' Flushed with pale rose and d aflodil the mom

r Awakes, but soon his glo y fadeth quite

Away : as soon of joy was I forlorn

And now, a stranger long to all delight,

r Hea tsick and footsore, weary and outworn ,

l I sink into the silent rea m of night .

SOME OTHER DAY

RONDEAU

f SOME other day, when ancy bright

m r Inspires y pen, I then may w ite

A villanelle to peace your ear :

sa I cannot now, I dly fear,

Pourtray one image of delight .

My thoughts are threadbare, dull, and

And will not take the meanest flight "

But I will try again, my dear,

Some other day . ’Twould seem as if a chilly blight" Had settled on me : cursed spite

My muse has fallen to the sere

And yellow leaf, it would appear "

Yet something good I may indite

Some other day. CONTENT IS LIFE’S BEST TREASURE

H ow prone are we to meet despair half way,

Foreboding coming evils that come not "

ur In discontent, to murm at our lot,

- - " " a And sigh full sore, Alas and well day

W w ere e but graced with favours, such as they

To whom indulgent fortune comes unsought "

W ’ f hose life s air manuscript is free from blot,

Whose brows are crowned with garlands of the May .

we n Yet well k ow, to all come good and ill

’ For where sits he, so blest by fortune s dower,

That canker care may not his pride deflower,

And on the ground his cup of pleasure spill ?

So changeth fickle fortune, hour by hour,

’ And sweet content is life s best treasure still. COMPLETE IN THINE OWN LOVELINESS

WOULD I were rich "on thee would I bestow

Jewels to grace thy throat and fingers fair "

m l Opal and a ethyst would brightly g ow,

m - Wreathed in thy autu n brown, luxuriant hair "

be n And I would ro thee, dear, in silken shee ,

m s ost Brought fro afar in h ips, at princely c ,

a en And thou wouldst sit app relled like a que ,

e oas . And I, so vain of the , would proudly b t

e u e And yet, why seek to deck the in such g is

ffl e a As a u nce may spend in rich arr y,

When thou art now as lovely in mine eyes

As dew-impearled roses are in May?

All unadorned by gems, or costly dress

Complete art thou in thine own loveliness .

A DILEMMA

A FRIEND of mine the other day

Said, Give me your advice, I pray "

I know I may rely on you,

So, tell me what I ought to do .

With love my heart is all on fire,

So many maidens I admire

’ There s Emma, Kate, and Mary Jane

They do not treat me with disdain .

ah m " e I love each one, and yet, ,

I dearly dote on other three

’ W There s Winifred, attired in hite,

k I wal ed with her on Sunday night,

And 0 she is a dear delight "

m Then Rose is dressed in grace co plete, A DILEMMA 2 15

And dear Lizette is very sweet

Believe me, I am sore distressed

To know which damsel I love best .

a Lizette is t ll, with raven hair "

Miss Rose petite, and very fair

" m e Alas they drive to despair.

me r Help , to choose, my wo thy friend,

n And bri g my trouble to an end .

r r ? Shall it be Ma y Jane, o Kate

Pronounce, and you shall fix my fate

Yet ere you say which I should wed,

Think well of Winsome Winifred "

m O For she, in y pinion, shows

all The fairest of them , save Rose "

0 r And in case you should fo get,

m i I would re ind you of L zette,

t n Wi h wavi g hair, and eyes of jet, 27 16 A DILEMMA

Weigh well th eir worth ere you decid e

Which one I make my blushi ng brid e

’ By your decision I ll abide.

’ et 0 a an And y , st y, there s Mary J e,

And that enchanting fairy Emma : — — Now you may speak and yet refrain

I see no end of my dilemma.

O LET US LOVE WHILE IT IS M A Y

VILLANELLE

LET h M a O us love w ile it is y,

’ e For life s green leaves in time grow ser ,

’ And youth s wi nged hours will fly away .

0 hearken then , sweet love, I pray "

’ n To my heart s plaint i cline thine ear,

And let us love while it is May .

The full blown roses in a day

Shed all thei r pride and disappear

’ So youth s winged hours will fly away .

a " In springtide birds sing blithe and g y" e In autumn th y are mute, my dear

l So et us love while it is May . O LET US LOVE WHILE IT IS MAY

Bright golden locks turn silver grey,

m Ti e dims all eyes, however clear

’

a . Ah, youth s winged hours will fly aw y

Sweetheart "why longer then delay ?

Now might we live in merry cheer

0 let us love while it is May,

’ For youth s winged hours will fly away . TIIE UNS EEN LAND

L COU D we this verity but realise,

That we now weave the vesture we shall wear

e Hereafter in the realms eternal, wh re

Each one will be attired in truthful guise

Surely our souls we then would exercise

fa To make our lives here sweet and pure and ir,

ere That we might walk with brow unclouded th ,

m In sweet com union with the good and wise .

0 could we only clearly understand

w That every act, that every word e say,

Is wrought into the robes that shall array

Our spirit forms on that immortal strand :

we Then , haply, would make no more delay,

In preparation for the unseen land .

WHAT MELODY IS THAT I HEAR

A a ttired in vest l white, she strays

Beside the silent stream,

s h e n i And, as sings e chant ng lays,

The eyes of night in Wide amaze,

And pleasure on her beam . TIME, THE GIVER OF GIFTS

0 HOW unequally does time bestow

f " His gi ts While fortune he to many brings,

m be flin s To so e but a paltry pittance g ,

And such regard him as a cruel foe

n The young and hopeful thi k his pace too slow,

For they desire of him so many things,

And some declare that from his widespread wings

e He sh ds on them a blight of want and woe.

n o Yet he, less, a healing balm does lend

' ffl -suflus A icted souls, whose tear éd eyes

The very waftage of his pinion dries

all - From who weary , heavy laden bend,

He lifts the load at last "whate’er disguise

He wears, to all he proves a kindly friend . W E saw H N first I my love, in all

’ Her beauty s pride arrayed,

It was at a gay festival

Where minstrels music made

ah m e " When last I saw my love, ,

m The house was all in gloo ,

r f l And hollow voices, mou n u ly,

Bewailed her faded bloom .

’ "a S i - a Alas th t pr ng s rose wre thed hours Away so quickly fly

And 0 that fair and tender flowers

f an Should ade so soon d die .

’ O ersh ad owed by a sable pall,

r In tea s, I saw her laid Where light and Whisper musical

’ Ne er cheer the silent shade .

MATTER AND SPIRIT

WHEN He whose might can storm and temp e st

am t e,

With bared right arm omnipotent, at last,

This matter-moulded universe shall cast

Into the yawning void from whence it came

m In rushing waves of elemental fla e,

Th i e realm invis ble shall stand steadfast,

In strength u nshaken by the trumpet blast

m That shall an end of all things else proclai .

Th e h Unseen is eternal . W en the sun,

Th e m t moon , and all the nightly arching hos

A re dark and dead, and to destruction tossed ,

T r f run heir glo y aded, and their life race ,

T hen, then shall spirit life eternal boast,

m . Its feud with atter past, its warfare won ENTREATY

W a l HO poor, how we k are words to tel

How fondly I love thee "

n The , sweet and gentle Isabel,

With kind eyes look on me.

Long have I wooed thee, O requite

My deep devotion now "

For belted knight to lady bright

’ Was ne er more true, I vow .

Should love so leal and true as mine

All unrewarded be ?

’ 0 fill my cup with life s glad wine,

0 fill it full and free . 228 ENTREATY

and t That I may drink, quite forge

The anguish and the ache,

' sufler Which I have borne, and yet,

Sweet lady, for thy sake .

as art " Be kind thou fair, 0 love

And sweetly smile on me,

t For, by all holy sain s above,

I die for love of thee .

DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE

THE wakeful pilot stars lone night-watch keep

’ And guide the mariner thro trackless seas "

So sure his course doubt never breaks his sleep

To his desired port he glides with ease :

’ But hapless I, on life s wide ocean tossed "

- f r Ill starred, adri t, amid the su ging throng

By ever changing tides perplexed and tossed

w on Steering for right I shipwreck make on r g .

" fain would ee When duty calls, his quest I sp d ,

But giddy folly so ensnares my path

n n e And stra ge misgivi g in my brain doth br ed ,

That I know not which my allegiance hath

at mom f To him , , I all on bended knee,

But, straight arising, I to folly flee . MARGARET

’ THO many maidens I compare

To all things lovely, all things rare "

To m are f f e you the airest air,

r " Beloved Ma garet

On your white brow you proudly wear

’ Sweet beauty s Coronet.

Sweet names are dear to poesy "

A ma nd so, my sweeting, I ke free

a h r With M bel, C loris, and Ma ie,

Rose, Lucy, and Lizette "

F r f n o they are linked, by a tasy,

r To joy and all reg et . MARGARET

r n O t ust me, closer shall I cli g

in n To you wi ter than in spring,

For so I vowed whenas the ring

In simple faith I set

r r On your fair finger, mu mu ing

’ Words I shall ne er

OLD HEROIC DAYS

W of a HAT could we tell old heroic d ys,

When mighty chiefs embarked on high emprise

’ For Troy s embattled plain, did not the lays

Of bards renowned their fame immortalise ?

’ ’ a e War s bloody front, and passion s fiery bl z ,

n - The clash of arms, and ve geful battle cries ,

The doughty deeds that did the world amaze ,

’ The love-alluring light of Helen s eyes

- The very gods, star throned in the skies,

Had been forgot h ad bards not sung their praise

’ Tis poesy alone that never dies,

Nor yields to time, that god and hero slays "

Time, that all else subdues, sweet song defies ,

And does the mortal thus immortalise . WHY MOURN FOR THE DE AD

0 WHY beside the tomb thus weep and mourn

The soul you seek in sorrow is not there

n e Confined . He lives in radiant regio s wher

w " No sound of sorrow comes . Weak and out orn

O weep not so as one of hope forlorn ,

l For you sha l yet his cup of gladness share,

And this dark hour forget, and all its care

In the serenity of hours unborn .

Think not the good and wise, the true and brave,

In dark obliteration ever sleep

Of this be sure, God finds a means to save

The soul from dusty death . Then do not weep,

And cease this unavailing watch to keep

At the unhearing portal of the grave . TOSSED ON LIFE’S DARK AND STORM Y

SEA

’ E a sea TOSS D on life s d rk and stormy ,

0 . Thy help, Lord, I crave

o In je pardy I cry to Thee,

For only Thou canst save

Arise, O Lord, and succour me "

I sink beneath the wave .

Dark is the night, no guiding star

Aloft can I descry :

The winds and waves in fury war,

And faint and spent am I

Fain would I cross the harbour bar,

a And in c lm water lie .

IN TRANCE THEY SAY

I

IN trance, they say, some see that blissful sh or e

Where in beatitude walk spirits bright "

Who yet on earth descend by day and night

To comfort all who bear afliiction sore

th e For now, as in golden age of yore,

C elestial visitants from realms of light

C ome down to give us proof that, in despite

O f . death, the soul set free lives evermore

are If all the tales they tell true indeed,

How greatly are they favoured so t o see

A world of wonder hid from you and I

e Were it not wise to give them patient he d ,

And not in proud disdain to pass them by

A s moon-struck dreamers fed on fantasy ? SEERS AND PROPHETS

II " T e HEY say, Se rs and prophets from of old

Have witness borne that angels oft appear

n to O high commission sent mortals here,

A nd heavenly ministrations manifold

Th e as loved Evangelist, we are told,

e v a With eyes entranc d, but inward ision cle r,

B h and n eheld the heavenly ost, drawing ear

Heard strains seraphic played on harps of gold .

That everlasting are the things unseen

Did not inspired apostles testify ?

S So now, if pirits do approach us nigh,

Th e present is but what the past has been

h His law remains unchanged, who reigns on igh, " n And on this truth in confidence we lea . THE AGNOSTIC

THAT angels guard and guide us here, I kno w

Devout and holy men from age to age

’ Have testified "tis true the sacred page

Records angelic visits long ago

But now the light of reason serves to show

Such tales to be an old-world heritage

From simple souls, who stood upon a stage

. a fl w Both dark and narrow With unce sing o ,

Adown the stream of time float creeds ou twor n

And this belief is kith and kin to faith

In fairy, silvan , dryad, sheeted wraith

f n And all the brood of foolish ancy bor ,

When men imagined our small orb to be

’ - Of heaven s revolving wheel th e axle tree .

242 ENIGMAS

m ’ What ind may grasp illimitable space,

Or in this mazy dance the windings trace ?

in finitude One only vast can grasp,

A n m a d mark the zy measures they do pace .

This moving mote we m ighty world do nam e

"And think in ignorance deserving blame

To be the stage whereon the Master plays

m f m e His asterpiece, that on which rests His a )

Is but an anthill in th e mighty all

We crawling emmets speak of some great fall

h an Which so disturbed His quiet bliss, and c ged

His cup of nectar sweet to bitter gall .

Think you the framer of this mighty scheme

’ ma By Satan s lice left His throne supreme,

And, shorn of majesty, abode with men

- Awake "shake off this soul deluding dream . ENIGMAS

Do you imagine the Almighty Power

' Could sufler hinderance for one brief hour ?

What could disturb His august reign supreme,

What look of menace cause His brow to lower ?

t a Think ye, this stately pagean p cing round

In unimagined boundless depths profound

Was set in all this fair array to glad

r n th " Your eyes ? Ye foolish c awlers o e ground

The wheel of heaven upon its a"le-tree

n t e Has o once turned, our sagest seers agr e,

o sun Since this poor earth, an utcast from the ,

and s a. Dispersed her fires, and set in land e

th e ir r How measureless c cumsc ibing tire,

a t tra When ages after ges mus nspire,

Before one circuit marks an hour in time "

an H Stand in dumb awe, d is great works admire . ENIGMAS

r How little do ye know of hoa y time,

Ye worms evolved from out the primal slime

Of this small orb "the gleaming stars have shone

Long ages through, and still are in their prime .

’ In mystery s perplexing face you stare,

In hope to read the secret hidden there "

but n In breathless gaze you stand at pause, o

Least movements of her lips her thoughts declare .

All things go on by steadfast law controlled

Nature may not be bribed by tears or gold "

Stern law and fate in awful silence sit,

— o Their blood is unperturbed their hearts are c ld .

The wheel of fate drives on and heeds not praye r

and r The darkened soul, he by love made fai ,

Alike are crushed beneath its iron rim :

c r Both he who heedless walks, and who takes a e .

246 ENIGMAS

an r Famine d pestilence with ho rid hands,

’ Anon stalk fiercely o er the thirsty lands,

nes Tearing the livid flesh from human bo ,

m Nor will they stay their course at your com and s .

How impotent is finite mind to grasp

’ The infinite, or His shut book unclasp

To read the tenor of His secret mind "

? Who, of His palace gate, may lift the hasp

e Spirit sublime is He . Not her nor there,

But all-pervading present : everywhere

Th is flowery eart h and every shining orb

Of night is made by His indwelling fair.

Earth’s moving panorama is revealed

’ ’ By day s clear lamp, and by night s shade c on

cealed " The scene of yesterday is fi ed in heaven ,

’ By Phoebus fingers, limned as on a shield . ENIGMAS 247

i r A magic m rror hangs above the ea th,

Reflecting every glance of gloom or mirth

’ That lightens o er her face : each moving wave

ra " . a Is there t nsfi ed, of oce n, sea, or firth

A saint of olden times has wisely told

’ tem ral How things seen are but p , and behold,

t The unseen things eternal are and las ,

Nor shall they change when this round earth

cold .

The grand reality is all unseen

By you wh o proudly boast perception keen

This life you lead here is illusion all :

You cast but fleeting shadows on a screen .

What latent force dwelt in the fiery haze

’ That centred in the sun s fierce hissing blaze ?

are Parcels and portions of that haze you,

And all that you behold with wildered gaze. 248 ENIGMAS

What occult alchemy the sunbeams hold "

A secret power transmuting haze of gold,

And gold again, by its transforming power,

To unseen vapour which no eyes behold.

Speak you of comprehending nature’s laws ?

e u What can you do but s quence mark, and pa se

‘ In utter helplessness and baflled skill

To read the riddle of the Great First Cause

No atom of the universal all

Can from the grasp of God Almighty fall "

- c All things through never ending change pro ee d,

And nothing can be lost beyond recall.

The Cause of all must hold all gifts in fee

The highest thought that burns in you and m e "

t ’ ’ Ar s fairest flower, and wisdom s priceless c rown

Are but a reflex of that august He.

2 50 ENIGMAS

Why sadden life, by straining eager eyes

Along the path that dark before you lies

r Since whence you came, or where you journey ends

You know not ? Why waste life in vain surm ise ?

ar The creeds of men e manifold, and few

Agree , the heavens of Mussulman and Jew,

- Of Pagan Greek, and Brahmin nowhere meet "

? And yours, my friend, is it delusive too

’ You say death ope s the door at close of life

s r Through which you pass, and bid farewell to t ife ,

And all the sorrows which attend you here

im In this d round , with nameless terrors rife .

’ ’ O nin If birth is but the p g of life s gate,

In being ’s outer vestibule you wait "

’ e Will death s kind fingers draw aside the v il ,

And usher you to God ’s great hall of state ? ENIGMAS 25 1

ra w l So, pa dise divine i l greet your sight,

sa You y, and there unspeakable delight

’

as . You ll drink, from a cup of ruby wine

Is this not all a vision of th e night ?

Behold "in winter wan the pale sun gleams

A little hour, and then his struggling beams

Are quenched in gloom "so is life’s rising dawn

Aflam " . e with hopes, that fade, alas as dreams

Your noon is brief, and in delusive hope

h n You spend your twilight our. How ca you cope

With heaped impediments that hem you round,

And numb your powers ? How circumscribed your scope

n You si k like wintry sun, all rudely shorn

Of hope and bliss . What can you else but mourn ?

th Shall you, triumphant as e orb of day,

’ Arise resplendent, to heaven s gate up borne ? 25 2 ENIGMAS

We hope no cloudy rack of heaped sorrow

Will then arise to dim our fair to-morrow

We cling to faith that all shall yet be well

f e or . With us, and so, from hop some com ort b row

’ Was life not made for joyance ? Earth s floor is spread

’ a ia With loveliness, and he ven s rad nce shed

r- In full largesse . Whence came the canke worm

Of care ? Why walk we still in fear and dread

If life eternal be indeed a gift

n f Divine, why should we be so pro e to li t

’ e a f Misdoubting, hopeless yes to heaven s cle r ac e ?

’ f In life s melodious lute, whence came the ri t

O for some certain Sign to bless our sight

’ While here we wait and watch through life s d ark night

If but some fair-winged messenger of love

h t " Might come, and on this darkling earth alig

2 54 ENIGMAS

In or mem y we live, yet look before

With anxious eyes to catch that furt her sh ore "

Where disappointed hopes and faded joys

Shall end, and time itself shall be no more .

0 rest your weary eyes and strive no more

far r To catch a glimpse of that unknown sho e .

Be ye content with what you here may ga in

Why wring your hands and evermore deplore

Why weep forever by the willow brooks ?

Th e birds that fly are not all jays and rook s "

O hearken h ow the woodland choirs rejoic e "

T h o hen lift your heavy eads and clear your l oks .

Rise with the lark at break of day and sing

Your matin song with thankful heart. Th e sprin g

Will come again arrayed with flowers. Ar ise "

’ D a and f m ou flin ark winter s robe disc rd, ro y g . ENIGMAS

is r The sky clea and blue above you spread,

And flowers in every field sweet fragrance shed .

Why sadden after joys denied Be ye

Content, and thank God for your crust of bread .

W i itness the splendour of the gleam ng dawn,

Heaven ’s gorgeous curtains one by one withdrawn "

v S The rich and poor alike may iew the how,

From narrow garden plot or broadest lawn .

What phantasies of shape traverse the sky "

"l m See caste lated towers where strea ers fly,

And stately palaces with portals wide,

- Where watchful winged dragons crouching lie .

Fine tissued tapestries enfold the gate

a " Of heaven , as forth the sun proceeds in st te

a ead With purple, pe rl, and gold his floor is spr ,

n I wrought with argent threads in art ornate . 2 56 ENIGMAS

’ w th e ra ar is o er Then , hen g nd triumphal m ch ,

s " He from the western foam alutes the shore a " Behold the roy l blazon he unfolds

’ Listen the proud acclaiming thunder s roar .

" n Behold the seasons as they come All bri g

fl Fresh raiment for the earth, and bounties ing

a all About her feet. They c ll creatures to

a Exult, and cast their c res, and with them sing .

Why go in search of pleasures ? They are s trewn

r About your feet. In eve y shady loan

r A concert rings of purest joy, and flowe s

Of fairest dye in every field are sown .

n n Fair scented roses rou d your doors entwi e,

’ flow rs w w And chaliced , brimmed full with de y i n e ,

Invite your eyes to gladness . Look aroun d "

The beauty of this earth is half divine.

2 58 ENIGMAS

What iron fate is this that keeps us bent ?

' sufler ? To so, 0 why are children sent

No liberty to tread the fields have we

For ever must we toil in cities pent .

What melody of birds e’er meets our ears ?

No blazoned heavens see we for blinding tears

O happiness "where may you dwell ? We live

Our darkling lives beset with cares and fears .

th e For want and woe, for all toils that task

? Our strength, is God or man to blame we ask

’ Man s changing face we see but cannot read

’ i Heaven s face is b d from us as by a mask.

Widows and orphans everywhere are found ,

By hopeless destitution compassed round " — Without one ray of cheering h Ope bereft

’ Of pity s tear or one soft soothing sound . ENIGMAS

Can children reared in lowest shades of gloom ,

’ ’ E er struggle into manhood s summer bloom ?

r Tell of the tender Fathe hood of God,

While cold and misery their hearts consume ?

’ n h Tis said, when God Incar ate walked t e earth

He healed diseases, turning moan to mirth

If He is thus Almighty, let Him still

Heal every sickness between death and birth .

Birth is attended still by moan and pain ,

From birth to death but short respite we gain "

e n Disease and pain, like d mo s, mock His might

Is the Almighty Healer’s art in vain ?

Life’s dark enigma who can read ? We cry — To Heaven for help in anguish deep O why

Does no consoling whisper ever come

No hand to wipe the tears from sorrow’s eye ? 260 ENIG MAS

This universe is fair, but where men dwell

H " ow oft the pains endured resemble hell

’ Wh y is oppression s heavy hand allowed

r " c n To st ike ? We ask amazed But who a te ll ?

’ Who ever smiles on poverty s pale face,

Or folds h im to his heart in kind embrace ?

" r See in the ve y house of Christ itself,

He sits despied as one found out of place .

W e th e h n with reverted eyes we scan past ,

’ ’ O er one long scroll of misery they re cast "

’ Bloodshed for Christ s dear sake and wars of hate

How long shall e nmity and bloodshed last ?

0 when shall we poor weary slaves have rest ?

We fa in would live like sweet birds in the n e st ,

h a a e o a T t h v no seated s rrow at their he rts .

Why do we live and drudge all so unblessed ?

262 ENIGMAS

’ By labour s brain and hand are fashioned all

Things men desire . How does it then befall

’ That labour s toil-worn face should be desp ied

s h is ? By idleness, who keep him in t rall

a Is there not hope that on this teeming e rth,

Which yields to labour ever timely birth

Of every seed that satisfies the heart,

That we may live in joyance and in mirth ?

b Some etter mode shall surely yet be found,

To scatter wide the wealth won from the grou nd "

and n When all shall have enough live conte t,

’ n a And hym s of th nks shall o er the earth resound .

Something in man ’s economy is wrong "

s Goodness lie hidden in his heart, and strong

Faith and hope . Could only he adjust

ra The wheels that g te, earth might yet resound with song " ENIGMAS

When enmity and strife together cease,

When arts of war decay, and arts of peace

: n r Prevail Then, 0 the shall th e earth bu geon

fl . Into ower, and no end of loves increase

Not H eaven but human folly is to blame

For all the misery that moans, and shame

That mars the face of poor affl icted man .

0 he who rights this wrong shall live in fame "

n e t n n f n " e and wh a and eel e resse w t ra , "t obl hi ki g i g p d i h g c is now not very common ) qui te free from th e prevalent cult of th e n nte u i lligible.

r f. W R OW EN P o ED A D D D . THE volume is th e record of an abundant and varied life of t t fee n and m a nat n . h as ne int it and hough , li g, i gi io Much go "o , in i fo f much lies t r th e enjoyment o a friendly reader.

Mr . N REW NG A D LA ". R l f r YOU book is fu l o ag eeable pieces .

M E B R R G S. r. RO E T B ID I SHALL have great pleasure in making your a"cquaintan ce in r and in nt r n it to t er rea er . you book , i oduci g o h d s

SB RY. Prof. SAINT U

BY another rule of my own I never read more than a page or two of an—y book of verse which I do not fi"nd likely to give m e pleasure now I have read yours through .

Mr RNEST RHYs . E .

T er n of to en me r em and I is v y ki d you s d you po s, I hope some d ay to refer to them in my notes on th e engrossing craft art ar th nn of poetry . I like p icul ly e so et Time Br ing eth ’ Change.

M r M EL INGTO N . SA U WADD .

I HAVE read your poems with th e greatest pleasure and a m rat n and man of th e nnet rem n m e not a l d i io , y so s i d litt e ’ " of a e eare Sh k sp s . ir EORG E O GLAS art S G D U , B .

E r nn and n I HAV just read you s"tately so et on Moschus Bio , which I admire very much .

M r TIN OBSON . . AUS D

V E rea man of th e e es w t nter t and I can see I HA d y pi c i h i es , ’ ’ t at are at me in th e nnet ant t of r n and h you ho so s sc y plo g ou d", in th e Oltl French forms of Villon and Charles of Orleans.

M r O N RTON OLLINS. . "H CHU C — YOU have th e tone and temper of th e true poet a union of fine ae t et en t m at w t and ernment of s h ic s sibili y , sy p hy i h disc r t a trut and a re erent en e of th e ne m ter es spi i u l h , v s s divi ys i w n er and rr n in l fe an na r m hich u d lie su ou d us i d ture. You poe s cannot fail to have th e sympathy of all feeling and thoughtful r a er e d s.

M L A P r. I LI W M SHAR .

IT is with pleasure I can write to you that I find your book

th e w r of a et not mere of a e artificer of er e. o k po , ly skill d v s n th e w e I not t n th e r a e e we a e O hol , do hi k ly ic l pi c s so ll b s d

fine wr t as th e nnet . e are ft n er fi or so ly ough so s Th se o e v y ne. Cloud Pictures and others in th e Wordsworthian vein t ouch a high level . " r e e to r fine I wish t u succ ss you book .

Sir LEWIS MORRIS. — THAN K you very m uch for your book I have read much of it and t n t at it w a reat ea of , hi k h sho s g d l poetical power. Th e nnet attra t me th e r and ene so s c , ly ics verse g rally are me and nf r e and it en ra wr tten lodious u o c d , is g e lly i , unlike r f h a to " th e e e o t e d e re a t t t at want re r n v s y, p"ss hough h s co di g, and that in clear language.