Sometimes we see thee fully, and can say
From hence thou took'st thy rise, and went'st that way;
But oftener the short beams of Reason's eye
See only there thou art, not how, nor why.
Thy darts are healthful gold, and downwards fall,
Soft as the feathers that they're fletched withal;
Such, and no other, were those secret darts,
Which sweetly touched this noblest pair of hearts.
They mingled fates; and both in each did share;
They both were servants, they both princes were.
If any joy to one of them was sent
It was most his to whom it least was meant ;
And Fortune's malice betwixt both was crossed,
For, striking one, it wounded th' other most.
Such sacred love does Heaven's bright spirits fill,
Where love is but to understand and will
With swift and unseen motions; such as we
Somewhat express in heightened charity.
Oh, ye blessed One! whose love on earth became
So pure that still in heaven 'tis but the same!
There now ye sit, and with mixed souls embrace,
Gazing upon great Love's mysterious face;
And pity this base world, where friendship's made
A bait for sin, or else at best a trade.
Ah! wondrous prince, who a true friend could'st be,
When a crown flattered, and Saul threatened thee!
Who held'st him dear, whose stars thy birth did cross!
And bought'st him nobly at a kingdom's loss!
Israel's bright sceptre far less glory brings;
There have been fewer friends on earth than kings.
ONE of this mood I do remember well,
In humble dwelling born, retired, remote ;
In rural quietude, among hills, and streams,
And melancholy deserts, where the sun
Saw, as he passed, a shepherd only, here
And there, watching his little flock, or heard
The ploughman talking to his steers; his hopes,
His morning hopes, awoke before him, smiling,
Among the dews and holy mountain airs;
And fancy coloured them with every hue
Of heavenly loveliness. But soon his dreams
Of childhood fled away; those rainbow dreams
So innocent and fair, that withered age,
E'en at the grave, cleared up his dusty eye,
And passing all between, looked fondly back
To see them once again, ere he departed;
These fled away, and anxious thought, that wished
To go, yet whither knew not well to go,
Possessed his soul, and held it still awhile.
He listened, and heard from far the voice of fame-
Heard and was charmed; and deep and sudden vow
Of resolution made to be renowned;
And deeper vowed again to keep his vow.
His parents saw-his parents whom God made
Of kindest heart-saw, and indulged his hope.
The ancient page he turned, read much, thought much, And with old bards of honourable name
Measured his soul severely; and looked up
To fame, ambitious of no second place.
Hope grew from inward faith, and promised fair,
And out before him opened many a path
Ascending, where the laurel highest waved
Her branch of endless green. He stood admiring;
But stood, admired, not long. The harp he seized-
The harp he loved, loved better than his life-
The harp which uttered deepest notes, and held
The ear of thought a captive to its song.
He searched and meditated much, and whiles
With rapturous hand, in secret touched the lyre,
Aiming at glorious strains; and searched again
For theme deserving of immortal verse;
Chose now, and now refused, unsatisfied;
Pleased, then displeased, and hesitating still.
Thus stood his mind, when round him came a cloudSlowly and heavily it came; a cloud
Of ills we mention not. Enough to say,
'Twas cold, and dead, impenetrable gloom.
He saw its dark approach, and saw his hopes,
One after one, put out, as nearer still
It drew his soul; but fainted not at first,
Fainted not soon. He knew the lot of man
Was trouble, and prepared to bear the worst;
Endure whate'er should come, without a sigh;
Endure, and drink, e'en to the very dregs,
The bitterest cup that time could measure out :
And, having done, look up, and ask for more.
Oh! who can tell what days, what nights he spent,
Of tideless, waveless, sailless, shoreless, woe!
And who can tell how many, glorious once,
To others and themselves of promise full,
Conducted to this pass of human thought,
This wilderness of intellectual death,
Wasted and pined, and vanished from the earth,
Leaving no vestige of memorial there!
It was not so with him. When thus he lay,
Forlorn of heart, withered and desolate,
As leaf of Autumn, which the wolfish winds
Selecting from its falling sisters, chase
Far from its native grove, to lifeless wastes,
And leave it there alone to be forgotten
Eternally, God passed in mercy by,—
His praise be ever new!-and on him breathed, And bade him live, and put into his hands
A holy harp, into his lips a song,
That rolled its numbers down the tide of time:
Ambitious now but little to be praised
Of men alone; ambitious most to be
Approved of God, the Judge of all, and have
His name recorded in the Book of Life.
DUM VIVIMUS VIVAMUS.
"LIVE while you live," the Epicure would say, "And seize the pleasures of the present day!" "Live while you live," the sacred preacher cries, "And give to God each moment as it flies!" Lord, in my views let both united beI live in pleasure, when I live to Thee!
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