Trembling before thine awful throne,
O Lord! in dust my sins I own:
Justice and Mercy for my life
Contend!—Oh, smile, and heal the strife!
The Saviour smiles! Upon my soul
New tides of hope tumultuous roll:
His voice proclaims my pardon found,
Seraphic transport wings the sound!
Earth has a joy unknown in heaven,—
The...
swords crossed,—but not in strife!
The chiefs who drew them, parted by the space
Of two proud countries’ quarrel, face to face
Ne’er stood for death or life.
Swords crossed that never met
While nerve was in the hands that wielded them;
Hands better destined a fair family stem
On these free shores to set.
...
“father of lakes!” thy waters bend
Beyond the eagle’s utmost view,
When, throned in heaven, he sees thee send
Back to the sky its world of blue.
Boundless and deep, the forests weave
Their twilight shade thy borders o’er,
And threatening cliffs, like giants, heave
Their rugged forms along thy shore.
Pale silence, mid...
There is an hour of peaceful rest
To mourning wanderers given;
There is a joy for souls distrest,
A balm for every wounded breast,
’T is found alone 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...
One elf, I trow, is diving now
For the small pearl; and one,
The honey-bee for his bag he
Goes chasing in the sun;
And one, the knave, has pilfered from
The nautilus his boat,
And takes his idle pastime where
The water-lilies float.
And some the mote, for the gold of his coat,
By the light of the will-o’-wisp...
O lend to me, sweet nightingale,
Your music by the fountain,
And lend to me your cadences,
O river of the mountain!
That I may sing my gay brunette,
A diamond spark in coral set,
Gem for a prince’s coronet—
The daughter of Mendoza.
How brilliant is the morning star,
The evening star how tender,—
The light...
They say that, afar in the land of the west,
Where the bright golden sun sinks in glory to rest,
Mid ferns where the hunter ne’er ventured to tread,
A fair lake unruffled and sparkling is spread;
Where, lost in his course, the rapt Indian discovers,
In distance seen dimly, the green Isle of Lovers.
There verdure fades never; immortal in bloom,...
the trump hath blown,
And now upon that reeking hill
Slaughter rides screaming on the vengeful ball;
While with terrific signal shrill,
The vultures, from their bloody eyries flown,
Hang o’er them like a pall.
Now deeper roll the maddening drums,
And the mingling host like ocean heaves:
While from the midst a...
Few, in the days of early youth,
Trusted like me in love and truth.
I ’ve learned sad lessons from the years;
But slowly, and with many tears;
For God made me to kindly view
The world that I was passing through.
How little did I once believe
That friendly tones could e’er deceive!
That kindness, and forbearance long,
...
Slowly by God’s hand unfurled,
Down around the weary world
Falls the darkness; oh, how still
Is the working of Thy will!
Mighty Maker! Here am I,—
Work in me as silently,
Veil the day’s distracting sights,
Show me heaven’s eternal lights.
From the darkened sky come forth
Countless stars, a wondrous birth!
So...
