We know thy happy valleys lie In green repose, supremely blest; We know against thy sapphire sky Thy mountain-peaks sublimely rest.
For sometimes even now we catch Faint gleamings from thy far-off shore, While still with eager eyes we watch For one sweet sign or token more.
The loved, the deeply loved, are there! The brave, the fair, the good, the wise, Who pined for thy serener air, Nor shunned thy solemn mysteries.
There are the hopes that, one by one, Died even as we gave them birth; The dreams that passed ere well begun, Too dear, too beautiful for earth.
The aspirations, strong of wing, Aiming at heights we could not reach; The songs we tried in vain to sing; The thoughts too vast for human speech;
Thou hast them all, Hereafter! Thou Shalt keep them safely till that hour When, with God’s seal on heart and brow, We claim them in immortal power!
WITHOUT AND WITHIN
Softly the gold has faded from the sky, Slowly the stars have gathered one by one, Calmly the crescent moon mounts up on high, And the long day is done.
With quiet heart my garden-walks I tread, Feeling the beauty that I cannot see; Beauty and fragrance all around me shed By flower, and shrub, and tree.
Often I linger where the roses pour Exquisite odors from each glowing cup; Or where the violet, brimmed with sweetness o’er, Lifts its small chalice up.