SAFE HOME.
Safe home, safe home in port!
Rent cordage, shattered deck,
Tom sails, provisions short,
And only not a wreck:
But, oh, the joy upon the shore,
To tell our voyage,—perils o'er!
The prize, the prize secure!
The athlete nearly fell;
Bare all he could endure,
And bare not always well:
But he may smile at troubles gone,
Who sets the victor-garland on!
No more the foe can harm;
No more of leaguered camp,
And cry of night alarm,
And need of ready lamp:
And yet how nearly he had failed,—
How nearly had that foe prevailed!
The exile is at home!
O nights and days of tears,
O longings not to roam,
O sins, and doubts, and fears:
What matter now this bitter fray?
The King has wiped those tears away.
St. Joseph of the Studium, A.D. 870 (translated by J. M. Neale).
THE LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS.
Gpd moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.