They wake sweetest notes from invisible strings,
And cool my sad brow with their beautiful wings;
And the balm of their breath is the perfume that lies
On garments of those who look down from the skies!
And sometimes when dreaming beneath the old trees,
The voices I loved are afloat on the breeze;
They rush o'er my heart as the frail willow laves
The fountain that loves not the wind and the waves.
Those low spirit-whispers which sigh but to win,
They call up emotions of goodness within,
And feelings that slept, as a bird on the spray,
Are awake to the light and the joy of to-day.
"Tis a Heaven-lent thought, that loved ones return,
To bless and to comfort the beings who mourn.
But O, in my visions, my brow has been swept
By wings that hung o'er me to guard as I slept;
And beauty and grandeur that earth never knew,
The hands of those dear ones unveiled to my view.
I awoke in the moonlight, but time cannot blight
The flowers I brought from that world of delight!
Pure flowers of Faith! ye shall dwell in my soul,
And point my worn spirit to that blessed goal,
That region of peace where in beauty ye grew,
Heaven's light for your sunshine, joy's tears for your
No winter of grief o'er my bosom shall come,
With you for my treasures, that bosom your home;
And O, I will trust in the truths you declare,
Through storm and through darkness I will not despair.
When tears dim the eyes of the gentle and fair,
When sorrow and want seek the children of care,
Though I weep for their sadness, I know that far down
In the waters of wo lies a saint's starry crown;
Though they sink 'neath the flood in the terrors of
night,
They shall rise crowned with glory as spirits of light;
And earth hath no spot that is darksome and vile,
But yet shall rejoice in Divinity's smile.
Though this be but dreaming, I would not give back
The flowers that fancy throws bright on her track,
The blessings of Faith coming down from on high,
Which teach me so truly that mind cannot die!
For all the great wealth of the famed "Kohinoor,"
And kingdoms subdued by the demon of war,
I would not resign my sweet Fancy and Faith;
They have blessed me in life, shall they leave me in
BY MRS. H. J. LEWIS.
When adverse Fate my pathway shrouds, And murmurs tremble on my tongue, Grant me to see above earth's clouds
The bow of promise heavenward hung ; And may this thought my bosom warm —My Father's hand directs the storm!
Now, while a cloudless sky is mine,
And love illumines all my hours,
And seeks around my brow to twine
The sweetest of life's chosen flowers, When days glide by with muffled tread, Leaving rich gifts around me spread,
While in love's atmosphere I breathe, Nor hear from far the sounds of strife, While all above and all beneath
Lends nectar to my cup of life, Father, what praises shall I bring, Worthy my blessings' bounteous Spring?
However bright the sunshine be
That fills my spirit's eye with light,
Pure love shall wing my thoughts to Thee,
And plead acceptance in thy sight Acceptance for a grateful prayer
Born of thine own abundant care.
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