LAKE BYROM,
In the County of Westchester, N. Y.
1.
By thy still waters, lonely Lake,
The wild-dove builds her hermit home,
And there her matin-song doth make,
Where mornings all like Sabbaths come:
O’er thee she flits with silent wing,
Or lulls thee with its silken sound,
Thee—sleeping like a holy thing,
And hid from all the world around.
2.
No voice along thy leafy shore,
But nature’s hymns are rising there,
Nor oft the echo-waking oar
Disturbs thy breast, and haunted air!
A fane upon thy water side
With lights ablaze in every cell,
How bright ’twould seem at even tide,
How soft be heard its Vesper Bell!
3.
By thy still waters, lonely Lake,
I too could build a hermit home,
Where mornings all like Sabbaths break,
And Earth’s alarm can never come;
And there, this bosom, Heavenly Dove,
A cell for thy repose might be,
Forsaking all for worlds above,
And all the world forsaking me.
STANZAS.
STANZAS.
Quæ nunc abibis in loca.
1.
When first the soul’s dark chains unbind,
And bursts from clay the prison’d mind,
What thoughts—what visions on it press,
Floating through ether—bodiless,
And borne away in calmest air,
Or falling, falling to despair,
What are its thoughts to find it there!
2.
Oh, when the struggling gasp is o’er,
And Earth hath naught to charm it more,
And it is free, and fixt its fate,
Flitting through space—all desolate,
With none its wilderment to share,
In silence borne—it knows not where,
What are its thoughts to find it there!
3.
Oh rising, when it first doth hear
Heaven’s far-off music drawing near,
And gazeth now on heavenly light,
That brighter grows, and still more bright;
Oh, when it gains that purer air,
And first beholds those regions fair,
What are its thoughts to find it there!
4.
Or sinking, sinking, when more near
Deep groans assail its spirit ear,
And Earth is gone—its little day
Pass’d as a slighted dream away;
When round it frowns at length the glare,
The glimmering darkness of despair,
What are its thoughts to find it there!
LAMENT.
LAMENT.
The years draw nigh when thou shalt say,
I have no pleasure. Eccles.
1.
Years are coming hither
When this heart so gay,
Much I fear will wither!
Youth is gone away.
Men are brothers—brothers!
Oh! I tremble then,
Lest I grow as others
Of my fellow-men.
2.
Those of whims and wrinkles,
Once were blithe as I;
Heads that frost besprinkles,
Once look’d bonnily;
And where winter lingers
Upon the old man’s curls,
Have play’d the taper fingers
Of well-beloved girls.
3.
Oh, must the years come on me
When these are no delight!
Must frost-work fall upon me,
And deadliness and blight;
This heart that loves the summer,
Be chilly as the cold;
And I be dim, and dumber
Than the mummies of the Old!
4.
And am I surely growing
In soul and senses seal’d,
Like him who, all unknowing,
Is frozen and congeal’d!
I know it—ah, I know it;
Of all the world ’tis true;
And the fibres of the poet
Must break—or toughen too.
5.
Thank God with all my spirit
For my only, only cheer,
Since I learn’d that I inherit
A destiny so drear.
But now I care not for it,
And welcome is the grave;
Oh why should I abhor it,
Since only it can save!
6.
I’ve seen a worm that weaveth
His shroud as with delight;
Then sleeps, as who believeth,
He only bids good night.
Then up again he springeth,
A wing’d and elfin form;
Away, away he wingeth,
An angel from a worm!
7.
Wise worm! and I, his brother,
Will learn from him to live!
A lesson that no other
So beautiful can give.
Oh, weave in life thy swathing,
And then in Christ repose!
Who maketh life a plaything
Is born to many woes.
THE ZENAIDA DOVE.
THE ZENAIDA DOVE.
1.
When the wounded buccaneer
Moors alone, his pirate prore,
Seeking, in his flight of fear,
Alabama’s woody shore,
Oft reclined at heat of day,
In the green palmetto grove,
Sad, he lists the roundelay
Of the sweet Zenaida Dove.
2.
He is far from kin and kind,
He has seen his comrades die;
Now the bold and dark of mind,
Is as dim and dark of eye.
She is singing, in her home,
Innocent and soft as love;
Ne’er a wish or wing to roam
Hath the sweet Zenaida Dove.
3.
Then, as soft the carol pours,
Will he turn his languid eye
Round the cypress-shaded shores,
Feeling it is hard to die.
Tears, as gentle as a child,
Pay the minstrelsy above,
And the pirate’s heart grows mild,
Listening the Zenaida Dove.
4.
Lady, when mine erring heart
Made my dark and gloomy brow,
We had been for years apart,
Guilty I—but holy thou.
But—by chance, we met agen,
Thou all innocence and love!
I beheld abash’d—and then
Thou wast my Zenaida Dove.
5.
Youth was fever in my blood,
And a frenzy in mine eye:
Thou hadst bloomed to maidenhood,
Guileless all as infancy:
Dear thy voice, as childhood seemed,
And thine eye was mild as love,
With a soft rebuke it beamed:
Thou wast my Zenaida Dove.
REMEMBER.
REMEMBER.
Eccles. xii.
1.
Remember thy Creator now
When youth and years are bright,
Ere evil days draw nigh, when thou
Shalt find them no delight:
Now, when the moon and stars above
Are pleasant things to see;
Now, when thy days are soft as love,
And all is joy and glee.
2.
The voice of song and mirth must cease,
And Music’s daughters die;
The bird’s sweet voice be hushed to peace,
And earth’s best beauty fly;
And almond buds shall blossom white,
Where now thy locks are dark,
To dim thy young eye’s sapphire light,
Or hyacinthine spark.
3.
Or ever then the silver cord
Shall loose the golden bowl,
Remember thy Creator Lord
With overflowing soul:
For dust to dust must mingle then,
And Earth its earth shall claim,
And thy free spirit flit again
To God, from whom it came.
CHRISTMAS.
CHRISTMAS.
Written in 1830.
1.
Hark, through the skies the glad anthem is ringing,
The glory effulgent of heaven is shown;
Angels of light the loud chorus are singing,
Jehovah’s dear son the Messiah, to own.
2.
Lo, the rude Shepherds their flocks while attending,
And wearied of watching, are startled with fright;
For see a bright angel—in clouds is descending,
While darkness gives place to a heavenly light!
3.
And hearken the message—good tidings I bring!
The Saviour long promised in Juda, is born;
Oh hasten to greet him, and worship your king,
Ere burst o’er the mountains, the beams of the morn.
4.
And sudden, all heaven with melody fired,
In rapt adoration the chorus prolong:
And cherub, and seraph with rapture inspired,
The glad allelluia attune in their song:
5.
To God in the Highest all glory be given;
And peace be to men of good-will upon earth,
For down his Redeemer is stooping from heaven,
Rejoice all ye lands—’tis the morn of his birth.
OH WOULD I WERE HAPPY.
OH WOULD I WERE HAPPY.
1833.
1.
Oh would I were happy! If wealth can but buy
The favour of heaven, and peace from on high,
My riches I’ll give to the helpless and poor,
And load him with kindness, that begs at my door;
The widow and orphan my bounty shall share,
And all the afflicted partake of my care.
2.
Oh would I were happy! the sorrows and cares,
Which each new-born hour to my troubled heart bears,
Disgust me with all the gay pleasures of earth,
And weary me with its vain-glory and mirth;
If penance can wash out my guiltiness deep,
In sackcloth and ashes my crimes I will weep.
3.
But hearken! what voice is it falls on mine ear!
How gracious the message, the tidings how dear;
’Tis the voice of the Saviour that promiseth rest,
To the children of sorrow in mercy addrest,
Oh hear and be happy, yes happy in truth,
’Twill solace thine age, and ’twill strengthen thy youth.
4.
Oh come to the waters! come taste of the wave,
The waters of life, ever potent to save!
Who drinks of this fountain, shall thirst never more:
It springeth within, till his journey is o’er;
Ho! each one that thirsteth; the lofty, the low,
Come all to the fount I have bidden to flow.
5.
Oh these are the tidings so sweet to mine ear;
My sorrows are vanished, my spirit is clear!
Mine alms are worth little; my labour is vain,
My penance, unable this peace to obtain;
The treasures of Ophir, too poor a reward,
To purchase this peace—’tis the gift of the Lord.
THE MIRAGE.
THE MIRAGE.
1833.
1.
Oft in the desert dreary
A stream, the pilgrim spies,
And joyous then, though weary,
He speedeth to the prize:
But onward as he goeth,
The stream, the shining stream
Is vanish’d, and he knoweth
’Twas but an idle dream.
2.
So pleasure, bright appearing,
Oft tempts frail man astray:
And off, with joy careering,
He runs his giddy way:
But ah too soon perceiveth,
How false she is, and vain:
Her painted face deceiveth,
And cheats us into pain.
3.
Oh pleasure! What is pleasure!
A phantom of the mind;
We seize it as a treasure,
’Tis emptiness we find:
The heart for pleasure sigheth,
But who hath pleasure known!
Ere it is born, it dieth;
Ere it is caught—’tis flown!
MEDITATION.
MEDITATION.
1833.
1.
When evening from the starry skies,
Its blessed dews doth send,
And all the landscape stilly lies,
Calm contemplation’s friend:
Oh, then when moonlight beams are shed,
And gales so quiet blow,
And when from heaven’s fountain-head
Such varied mercies flow;
2.
Dear Saviour, bending at thy throne,
’Tis then my prayer I pour,
’Tis then my sorrows all I own,
And weep while I adore:
’Tis then I know the starry skies
Will listen to my prayer,
Accept my spirit’s sacrifice,
And charm away despair.
LINES.
LINES.
1833.
1.
As o’er the desert’s scorching sands
The Arah pilgrim strays,
And pants for green Idume’s lands,
Beneath the sultry rays:
2.
As he her spicy hills desires,
With flocks, and fruitage graced,
And onward hastens through the fires
That parch the dreary waste;
3.
So, pilgrim through Earth’s desert wild,
As fainting, and o’erspent,
Thou too art travelling, and exiled,
And in the noontide bent.
4.
Oh think not of the dismal earth,
But stretch thy longing eyes,
To hills, and homes of holy mirth,
That in the distance rise.
5.
Then take fresh courage to thy soul,
And onward speed thy way;
For there the living waters roll,
And there is endless day!
HYMN.
HYMN.
1834.
1.
Soldier, to the contest pressing,
Onward, let thy watchword be;
God upon thee pours his blessing;
What though man derideth thee!
2.
Onward, though the faggot’s burning,
By thy pathway’s only light:
Onward, death and danger spurning:
Onward in the path of right!
3.
God, for all thy wants providing,
Armor trusty hath for thee;
Gird thyself, in him confiding,
With the goodly panoply:
4.
Righteousness thy breast defending,
And thy feet with justice shod:
Onward; with the foe contending,
Wield thy sword, the word of God.
5.
Thine the helmet of salvation,
Faith thy mighty shield shall be;
And let prayer and supplication,
Lance, and glorious faulchion be:
6.
Still the standard o’er thee streaming
Be the banner pure, of love,
Where in glorious blazon beaming,
Float thy pinions, Holy Dove!
7.
Onward then, with bold contending,
In the path the martyrs trod:
God to thee his strength is lending;
Onward, in the strength of God.
HYMN.
HYMN.
1.
Oh, shine, my Redeemer,
My light o’er my way!
For faint is the pilgrim,
And lone, and astray.
No ray o’er the desert,
No light from afar,
Shine forth in thy glory,
Bright Bethlehem’s Star!
2.
Long blazed the fierce sunlight,
And toiling I went;
Now night falleth chilling,
My courage is spent:
These shadows of darkness,
How fearful they are!
Shine forth in thy glory,
Bright Bethlehem’s Star!
3.
’Tis said—and the midnight
Is breaking away:
See, soft through the shadows,
Pours mercy’s mild ray!
Now smileth the pilgrim
To greet thee from far;
All hail to thy glory,
Bright Bethlehem’s Star!
HOME MUSIC.
HOME MUSIC.
1.
Let Music lull thee, spirit mine,
And songs and harmonies divine,
When thou art sore distrest!
The viol and the tabret bring,
With lute and lyre of magic string
That charm the soul to rest,
And harps whose holy carolling
Becalms the breast.
2.
And let some angel shape be near,
With dewy lip, and voice as dear,
All loveliness and soul,
To wake the chords, and shed along
The joy of bosom-heaving song,
And music’s rippling roll;
While warbling their enchantment strong,
Soft flutes condole.
3.
Let music lull thee, spirit mine,
Sweet music, and the dear eyes shine,
Of gentle ones we love!
From Eden, when poor Eve was driven,
Sweet music by our God was given
With her the world to rove,
And lure her children back to Heaven,
Her home above!
TO ALL THAT’S GLORIOUS AND BRIGHT.
TO ALL THAT’S GLORIOUS AND BRIGHT.
He hath made everything beautiful
in his time. Eccles. iii. 11.
1.
To all that’s glorious and bright
The poet vows his shell;
To youth, and beauty’s fair delight,
And fancy’s warmer spell:
The world of loveliness is his,
And his the summer’s bloom,
And his the wildwood’s harmonies,
And birds of faery plume.
2.
These lovely things, like him, must die!
They vanish while he sings;
And what has pleased the poet’s eye,
Must grieve his pensive strings.
And ever was his song—a tear,
A sigh for beauty fled:
And harps that woke to charm and cheer,
Must soon lament the dead!
3.
I’ve seen the loveliness I loved,
Like frailest flowers decay:
And while the Spring’s young joys I proved,
My spring-time passed away.
And boyhood’s mirth is but a name,
Ere boyhood’s tears are dried,
And hopes in golden hues that came,
Like golden dreams have died.
4.
And false thy promise, empty Earth,
I trust thy show no more;
I’ve learned of my immortal birth,
And spurn this stranger shore;
And Heaven, my home, my haven bright,
To Heaven be vowed my shell;
My soul to its inspiring light,
And fancy’s hallowed spell.
THERE IS A LAND.
THERE IS A LAND.
And I said, O that I had wings like
a dove, then would I fly away and
be at rest! Psalter.
1.
There is a land, like Eden fair,
But more than Eden blest;
The wicked cease from troubling there,
The weary are at rest.
2.
There is a land of calmest shore,
Where ceaseless summers smile,
And winds, like angel whispers, pour
Across the shining isle.
3.
There is a land of purest mirth,
Where healing waters glide;
And there the wearied child of Earth
Untroubled may abide.
4.
There is a land, where Sorrow’s sons,
Like ocean’s wrecks, are tossed;
But there revive those weeping ones,
And Life’s dull sea is crossed!
5.
There is a land, where small and great
Before the Lord appear,
The spoils of fortune, and of fate,
Whom Heaven alone can cheer.
6.
There is a land, where star-like shine
The pearls of Christ’s renown:
And gems, long buried in the mine,
Are jewels in his crown.
7.
There is a land, like Eden fair,
But more than Eden blest;
Oh! for a wing to waft me there,
To fly, and be at rest!
THE HEART’S SONG.
THE HEART’S SONG.
Behold I stand at the door.
1.
In the silent midnight watches,
List thy bosom-door;
How it knocketh—knocketh—knocketh,
Knocketh evermore!
Say not ’tis thy pulse’s beating,
’Tis thy heart of sin;
’Tis thy Saviour stands entreating,
Rise and let me in.
2.
Death comes down with equal footstep
To the hall and hut;
Think you Death will stand a-knocking
Where the door is shut!
Jesus waiteth—waiteth—waiteth;
But thy door is fast:
Griev’d, at length away he turneth;
Death breaks in at last!
3.
Then ’tis thine to stand entreating
Christ to let thee in;
At the door of Heaven beating,
Wailing for thy sin.
Nay, alas, thou foolish virgin,
Hast thou then forgot,
Jesus waited long to know thee,
But—he knows thee not!
LAMENT.
LAMENT.
From the Latin of Mary Queen of Scots.
1.
Oh blessed, my Jesu,
I’ve trusted in thee;
Oh Saviour, my Jesu,
Now liberate me.
In horrible prison
And gloom have arisen,
My sighs, oh my Jesu, incessant to thee;
But, oh on my sorrow,
Has brightened no morrow,
Yet hear me, my Jesu, and liberate me.
2.
Oh blessed, my Jesu,
I’ve trusted in thee,
And still will I trust thee,
To liberate me.
And so, while I languish,
I cry in my anguish,
Adoring, imploring and bending the knee;
In sorrow and tremor,
Oh blessed Redeemer,
Smile on me from Heaven, and liberate me!
IN RADIANCE HE CAME.
IN RADIANCE HE CAME.
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel
saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone;
and they were afraid. Exod. xxxiv. 30.
1.
In radiance he came from the mount where he bowed,
To talk with the Lord in the veil of the cloud;
And light flashed before him, as trembling he trod,
From the mountain that quaked at the coming of God.
2.
’Twas Israel’s Prophet—oh breathe not his name,
Who talked with the Lord till his visage was flame;
Whose brow with the smile of Jehovah did glow,
And shone with the blaze of his glory below!
3.
Oh, bright as the mercy-seat dazzling afar,
He rose on the night of the vale like a star,
And dread was the sight to the recreant’s mirth,
Who praised his grim idol, while God was on earth.
4.
Then flew the swift shudder electric, of fear,
And stole the breath-whisper of guilt on the ear,
And the dancer was dumb at his orgies abhorr’d
And the renegade priest knew the friend of the Lord.
5.
And the virgins of Judah are lightsome of limb,
As they whirl round the Calf to a love-breathing hymn;
And the damsel’s swift heel hath a language that speaks,
And the hue of her heart flushes warm on her cheeks.
6.
A moment—and mute as the startled gazelle,
All wild is her eye—the dark eye of her spell!
And breaks the frail ring o’er the dance beaten sod,
Like flowers dropping pale from their garlanded god.
7.
So dazzling the beauty of holiness bright!
The glory of goodness—the wonderful light!
So, Lord, would I shine from my converse above,
So shed on the nations the light of thy love.
8.
And so from the mountains, the height of my prayer,
Where dwelling with thee, it was good to be there,
Grant, Lord, I may stoop to the valleys below,
With visage all radiant, and features that glow.