They tell of brighter, fairer plains, Where troubles cease, where pilgrims rest.
MY BOY SLEEPING.
O, SWEETLY thou art sleeping, And thine are dreams of joy, Thy mother too is keeping
Her watch o'er thee, my boy! Thy healthful cheek is shaded With hair of auburn dye; The last dear smile, unfaded, Tells artless pleasure nigh.
And long unknown to sorrow, Loved one! mayst thou repose, Be thine the hope of morrow, And thine the thornless rose : Life's path-how drear and lonely, Uncheered by love's warm glow; A parent's rapture, only
A parent's heart can know.
When of our joys, the nearest Too oft, alas! depart, O, blest is he whose dearest, Spring only from the heart; The tide of time is stealing, Each hour, some bliss away; But these dear throbs of feeling Can never know decay.
Yet while I hover o'er thee, Upon thy cheek, the tear Hath fallen, as before me, Life's numerous ills appear; O Heaven! avert, or lighten, Those ills, and if astray
Thou goest, may Hope's star brighten, And guide thee on the way,
O, waken from thy slumber, My cherub boy, that I May every beauty number, That glances from thy eye; Beneath those fringes darting, Are beams I long to see; Those ruby lips, disparting, Should lisp of love to me.
I gaze and still new pleasures My bosom overflow;
O tell me, best of treasures! What is it moves me so?
Yet hush! I would not wake thee,
So tranquil is thy rest;
To sleep again betake thee,
Thy couch a mother's breast.
THERE IS AN HOUR OF PEACEFUL REST.
THERE is an hour of peaceful rest,
To mourning wanderers given; There is a joy for souls distressed, A balm for every wounded breast'Tis found above, in heaven.
There is a soft, a downy bed,
Far from these shades of even; A couch for weary mortals spread, Where they may rest the aching head, And find repose in heaven.
There is a home for weary souls,
By sin and sorrow driven;
When tossed on life's tempestuous shoals, Where storms arise and ocean rolls, And all is drear-'tis heaven.
There Faith lifts up her cheerful eye, The heart no longer riven; And views the tempest passing by, The evening shadows quickly fly,
And all serene in heaven.
There fragrant flowers, immortal, bloom,
And joys supreme are given :
There rays divine disperse the gloom
Beyond the confines of the tomb Appears the dawn of heaven.
FILIAL Devotion! dear the tie That binds the parent to the child; "Tis from affection's rich supply, The streams of bliss flow undefiled; What youthful mind loves not to dwell On deeds which care parental prove? What child whose bosom doth not swell With gratitude and Filial Love? If such there be-from haunts of men Let the unhallowed wretch withdraw, Fitter to guard the scorpion's den, Or wait the cruel tiger's law.
How tender are the hourly cares, That with the mother's love entwine; How holy are the frequent prayers The father pours at midnight's shrine; Filial Devotion! Gratitude!
Emotions to the bosom dear
I would not on the heart intrude, That never gave to you the tear;
And hast thou, O my spirit, scanned
With equal zeal, His guardian power,
Whose breath supports, whose bounteous hand,
Unaided, holds existence' hour?
While, day by day, the full supplies
Thou need'st, are given thee from above;
Wilt thou not humbly recognise In these, a watchful Father's love? Recipient of a liberal store,
The pensioner of Mercy's throne, Wilt thou not contritely adore The Source of life and love alone? Great Parent! while I intercede For daily bread to strengthen me, May I, with holy fervour, plead Thy quickening grace to worship Thee.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW.
My heart is desolate and sad,- Others may dream, yet unto me The visions that my boyhood had, Are lost in dull reality;
I sometimes wish my soul were not By sorrow stern, compelled to bow; Yet wherefore? 'twill be all forgot One Hundred Years from Now.
The friends I had, the hungry tomb Hath stolen away, or, bitterer still, Coldness hath nipped their love in bloom, And kindly thoughts are turned to ill; 'Tis sad to mourn the buried friend, Most sad to meet the altered brow; Yet what of this!-all care will end
One Hundred Years from Now.
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