Poems of the Heart and Home | Page 4

from life's morning melodiously swell.
Up from the spirit-depths ringing Richly your melody swells, Sweet reminiscences bringing, Joyous-toned memory-bells!-- Youth's beautiful bowers, Her dew-spangled flowers, The pictures which Hope of futurity drew,-- Love's rapturous vision Of regions Elysian, In glowing perspective unfolding to view.
Up from the spirit-depths ringing, Sadly your melody swells, Tears with its mournful tones bringing, Sorrowful memory-bells! The first heart-link broken, The first farewell spoken, The first flow'ret crushed in life's desolate track,-- The agonized yearning O'er joys unreturning, All, all with your low, wailing music come back.
Up from the spirit-depths ringing. Dirge-like your melody swells; But Hope wipes the tears that are springing, Mournful-toned memory-bells! Above your deep knelling Her soft voice is swelling, Sweeter than angel-tones, silvery clear, Singing:--in Heaven above, All is unchanging love, Mourner, look upward, thy home is not here!

I WILL NOT DESPAIR.
I will not despair while thou rulest the storm, Though the red lightning stream o'er the cloud's sable-breast, For I catch through the darkness bright gleams of thy form, And I know 'tis thy voice lulls the tempest to rest-- The wild tempest to rest: Nor yet, though the shadows of deepening night, Hang over my path like the pall of despair; For one star through the gloom sends its hallowed light, And I know 'tis thy love smiling tenderly there, --Ah! tenderly there.
I will not despair, though the fountain that burst For me in life's desert be wasted and dry; For thy love was the fountain that cheered me at first, And again to its life-giving waters I fly-- O Holiest, fly! No; I will not despair while thy hand points me on, Though flowerless and thorny the path where I roam. For a calm sunlight rests on the far hills beyond, And I know 'tis the radiance that streams from my home, --Home, beautiful home!

GOD'S WITNESSES.
A PEN PICTURE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Upon the plain of Dura stood an image great and high, With golden forehead broad and bright beneath the morning sky; All regal in its majesty and kingly in its mien, The grandest and most glorious thing the world had ever seen!
Full sixty cubits high in air the lordly head was reared, And robed in gold from head to foot the stately form appeared; Adown the breast six cubits broad, a flood of yellow gold, All deftly wrought with matchless skill, its shining tresses rolled.
And, fronting thus the rising sun, it sent back ray for ray-- A golden flood of arrowy light--into-the face of day; While round its feet, in awe and dread, all Shinar stood amazed, And up into that radiant face with reverent wonder gazed.
Woke sackbut, psaltery, and harp, woke dulcimer and flute,-- Then prone in dust fell prince and peer, in lowly worship mute! The wise, the gifted, and the great, the lordly and the base Before the image bent the knee, and bowed in dust the face.
_Not all!_--for lo, three princely men, with calm, unaltered mien, With unbowed heads and folded arms, gaze on the unhallowed scene! The golden image awes them not, nor yet the king's decree, They bow not at the idol's shrine, nor bend the servile knee.
"Wake, sackbut, psaltery, and harp--wake yet again!"--but nay, With calm, pale faces, sad and stern, they slowly turn away; The monarch's wrath, the furnace-flame, death, _death,_--they know it all-- Yet all these horrors powerless are those high hearts to appal!
Haste, haste, obsequious minions, bear the tidings to your lord! Go, tell him there are some who dare to disobey his word; Men of the captive, Hebrew race, men high in place and power, Who scorn to bow their haughty necks at his command this hour!
"Go, bring them nigh!" the monarch cries, with fury in his face, "And set them here before my throne, these men of Hebrew race! Now, Shadrach, Meshach, answer me, and thou, Abednego, They tell me ye refuse to bow and worship!--is it so?
"But hearken: if, what time ye hear once more the pealing swell Of sackbut, psaltery, and harp, ye bend in homage--well; If not, the fiery furnace shall your quivering flesh devour! Then where's the God can rescue you from my avenging power?"
Then answered they, the captive three, in calm, respectful tone, While over each young, fearless brow faith's hallowed radiance shone, "Behold, our God is for us now--our God, O King! and He Is able to deliver us from the fierce flames and thee!
_"Yea, and He will deliver us!_--yet be it known to thee, O King, that could we truly know, that so it would not be, E'en then, we would not bow us down, or worship at the shrine Of this vain image thou hast reared, or any god of thine!"
"Now lead ye forth these haughty men!" the wrathful monarch cried, The while his face grew dark with