IN PRISON, APRIL, 1839.
O freedom, must thy spirit now withdraw
From earth, returning to its native heaven,
There to dwell, till armed with sevenfold vengeance
It comes again to earth with king Messiah,
And all his marshalled hosts in glory bright,
To tread the winepress of Almighty God,
And none escape?—ye powers of heaven forbid;—
Let freedom linger still on shores of time,
And in the breasts of thine afflicted saints,
Let freedom find a peaceful retirement,—
A place of rest;—till o'er the troubled earth—
Mercy, justice, and eternal truth,
While journeying hand in hand to exalt the humble
And debase the proud, shall find some nation
Poor, oppressed, afflicted and despised,
Cast out and trodden under foot of tyrants
Proud, the hiss, the bye-word, and the scorn of knaves:—
And there let freedom's spirit wide prevail.
And grow, and flourish—'mid the humble poor,
Exhalted and enriched by virtue,
Knowledge, temperance, and love—till o'er the earth
Messiah comes to reign;—the proud consumed.
No more oppress the poor.—
Let Freedom's eagle then, (forthcoming, like
The Dove from Noah's Ark) on lofty pinions soar,
And spread its wide domain from end to end,
O'er all the vast expanse of this wide earth,—
While freedom's Temple rears its lofty spires
Amid the skies, and on its bosom rests!
A cloud by day and flaming fire by night!!
But stay, my spirit, though thou feign would'st soar
On high; mid scenes of glory, peace and joy;
From bondage free, and bid thy jail farewell:—
Stop,—wait awhile,—let patience have her perfect work,
Return again to suffering scenes through which
The way to glory lies; and speak of things
Around thee,—thou art in prison still.
But spring has now returned, the wintry blasts
Have ceased to howl through my prison crevices.
The soft and gentle breezes of the south
Are whistling gayly past; and incense sweet
On zephyr's wing, with fragrance fills the air,
Wafted from blooming flowrets of the spring;
While round my lonely dungeon oft is heard
Melodious strains as if the birds of spring
In anthems sweet conspired to pity and
Console the drooping spirits there confined.
All things around me show that days, and weeks,
And months have fled, although to me not mark'd
By sabbaths—and but faintly mark'd by dim
And sombre rays of light alternate mid
The gloom of overhanging night which still
Pervades my drear and solitary cell.
Where now those helpless ones I left to mourn?
Have they perished? no.—what then!—has some
Elijah call'd and found them in the last
Extreme, and multiplied their meal and oil?
Yes, verily,—the Lord has fill'd the hearts
Of his poor saints with everlasting love,
Which, in proportion to their poverty,
Increased with each increasing want, till all
Reduced unto the widow's mite and then
Like her, their living they put in, and thus
O'erflowed the treasury of the Lord with more
Abundant stores than all the wealth of kings.
And thus supported, fed, and clothed; and moved
From scenes of sorrow to a land of peace—
They live!—and living still they do rejoice
In tribulation deep:
Well knowing their redemption draweth nigh!
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
WRITTEN IN PRISON.
Boast not, O proud Niagara! although
Thou mayest withstand the ravages of time,
While countless millions swept away with all
Their mighty works, are lost in following years:
Yet there is a voice to speak, long and loud!
'Tis Michael's trump, whose mighty blast shall rend
Thy rocks, and bow thy lofty mountains in the dust.
Before whose awful presence thy waters
Blush in retiring modesty; and in
Respectful silence thou shalt stand, and listening,
Wonder and admire, while thunders roll
Majestic round the sky;—the lightnings play,—
The mountains sink,—the valleys rise,—till earth,
Restored to its original—receives
Its final rest, and groans and sighs no more.
Till then weep on, and let thy voice ascend,
In solemn music to the skies;—it is
A funeral dirge,—thou weepest o'er the miseries
Of a fallen world—in anguish deep.
SPRING.
WRITTEN IN PRISON, APRIL, 1839.
See nature bursting into life and bloom:
Joyous, it rises from its wintry tomb,
Decked in pure robes of purple, white, or green:
Perfumed with incense sweet—O lovely scene!
Melodious sounds, with music soft and sweet,
Thrill through the air—thy joyous presence greet.
Behold, O Mary! and remember too,
There is a spring to bloom for me and you;—
We, like the spring, shall burst the sullen gloom.
All clothed in white—eternally to bloom.
We too, will join the choir his praise to sing,
And hail the welcome of Eternal Spring.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
WRITTEN IN PRISON.