Sharpened and trued, tempered with blue,
Laughter by sorrow is colored, too.
Yet softening the countenance,
Exalting by a humble glance.
Laughter's higher than I guessed!
But Oh!, my soul, my sorrowing breast.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter:
for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
BIBLE-CHESS
The game of Bible-Chess,
Is strictured, factored, terse,
A shameless bribe, no less,
With Scripture, chapter, verse.
Long past, checkered pages,
Portray a sinful field,
Throngs vast, sectored ages,
At bay, all win or yield.
Chords now held, weighed, compared,
Chess major piece or minor,
Words how veiled, stayed, some shared,
His Image, or this high-lore?
