Hope.
Hope, with a rich enchanting light,
Allures us gaily on;
That, when we think to grasp the prize,
Just flickers and is gone.
Its lambent flame again appears,
And we renew the chase;
But soon our smiles are turned to tears—
We’re baffled in the race!
Earth’s hopes are like the meteor-lights
That spread the moorland far,
But heavenly hope eternal shines
Serenely as a star.
A star which, viewed with steadfast eye,
Gives forth a purer ray,
And guiding onwards brightly glows
Refulgent as the day.
Its rich beams falling on the earth
Illume the clouds of care;
And, harbinger of lasting peace,
Imprint a rainbow there.