Thou Sun! whose smile wreathes early Morn,
A cheerful light to those forlorn,
And dries the dripping eyes of dawn,
Bless Life’s fleet day ere she be gone.
Teach her to shine as unto thee,
A lesser light as needs must be,
A ray bent toward lonely places,
Sun! whose beams reflect glad faces.
I ask when Life’s young day is done,
E’en as thy afterglow, O Sun!
I might bequeath one worthy song,
A candle in a world of wrong.
FOR YOU
The golden sun sinks
On a bosom of blue,
A-smiling for you;
While each bird in the nest
Lulls her tired brood to rest,
A-crooning for you.
The weed-blossoms blow
Full as wild flowers do,
A-blooming for you;
’T is my heart casts a spell,
Sets the plants in the dell
A-springing for you.
A moth of the night
Is my love—ever true,
A-winging for you;
Like yon firefly it glows,
As it kindleth anew
A-longing for you.