THE HUNTER.

True Faith.

A royal boon for man's delight
We deem this noble steed,
So great in his enduring might
Of courage, spring, and speed.
And as from coronet to crest
I muse the creature o'er,
There rises freely in my breast
One happy emblem more.
'Tis Faith, the spirit-steed so strong,
God's gift to our poor race,
Which bears the soul of man along
Through duty's arduous chase.
With reason's rein his fervour guide
O soul, he'll carry thee
Safe up the jagged mountain's side
As on the level lea.
Alike to him the morn outspread,
Or midnight on his way,
The fields of light where he was bred
Know neither night nor day.
The floods in vain lift up their voice,
No slough makes him despond;
His rider smiles at ocean's voice,
And cries, "Beyond! beyond!"
He leaps with a sublime delight
O'er æther's flaming zones,
And cheers the rider with the sight
Of Heaven and all its thrones.
Best at the last, he knows not death;
And when the chase is o'er,
Changes the simple name of "Faith"
To "Joy for evermore."

THE RACER.

While to the racer swift and strong,
Inexorable fate
Assigns the weight, the spur, the thong,
The choking struggle sharp and long,
The owner wins the plate.
Falls to the hind rasped down by toil,
And prematurely old,
The scanty dole his only spoil
From lifelong battle with the soil,
The master wins the gold.
Now comes a crying through the air,
The peasant's righteous call;
Lords of the land in liberal care
Earth's profit with the workers share,
And we'll be winners all.