Then there rose a swell of many young voices singing,—
"Oh, be joyful, be joyful, let every voice sing!
Welcome, brothers, our brother, the son of the king;
His wanderings are past, to his father he's come;
Little Eric, our darling, we welcome thee home!
"Oh, bless'd is the true one who follows the road,
Holding fast to his gold thread of duty to God,
Who, when tempted, is firm, who in danger is brave,
Who, forgetting himself, will a lost brother save.
Then be joyful, be joyful, for Eric is come;
Little Eric, our darling, we welcome thee home!"
And then the sun set, and the earth was dark, but the palace of the king shone like an aurora in the wintry sky.
The End.
Printed by Dalziel Brothers, Camden Press