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109 Works of Adelaide Anne Procter

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It was midnight when I listened,And I heard two Voices speak;One was harsh, and stern, and cruel,And the other soft and weak:Yet I saw no Vision enter,And I heard no steps depart,Of this Tyrant and his Captive, . . .Fate it might be and a Heart. Thus the stern Voice spake in triumph:-“I have shut […]

Trust me, no mere skill of subtle tracery,No mere practice of a dexterous hand,Will suffice, without a hidden spirit,That we may, or may not, understand. And those quaint old fragments that are left usHave their power in this,–the Carver broughtEarnest care, and reverent patience, onlyWorthily to clothe some noble thought. Shut then in the petals […]

Three Roses

Story type: Poetry

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Just when the red June Roses blowShe gave me one,–a year ago.A Rose whose crimson breath revealedThe secret that its heart concealed,And whose half shy, half tender graceBlushed back upon the giver’s face.A year ago–a year ago–To hope was not to know. Just when the red June Roses blowI plucked her one,–a month ago:Its half-blown […]

I. You write and think of me, my friend, with pity;While you are basking in the light of Rome,Shut up within the heart of this great city,Too busy and too poor to leave my home. II. You think my life debarred all rest or pleasure,Chained all day to my ledger and my pen;Too sickly even […]

Sent To Heaven

Story type: Poetry

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I had a Message to send her,To her whom my soul loved best;But I had my task to finish.And she was gone home to rest. To rest in the far bright heaven:Oh, so far away from here,It was vain to speak to my darling,For I knew she could not hear! I had a message to […]

Never Again

Story type: Poetry

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“Never again!” vow hearts when reunited,“Never again shall Love be cast aside;For ever now the shadow has departed;Nor bitter sorrow, veiled in scornful pride,Shall feign indifference, or affect disdain,–Never, oh Love, again, never again!” “Never again!” so sobs, in broken accents,A soul laid prostrate at a holy shrine,–“Once more, once more forgive, oh Lord, and […]

Listening Angels

Story type: Poetry

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Blue against the bluer HeavensStood the mountain, calm and still,Two white Angels, bending earthward,Leant upon the hill. Listening leant those silent Angels,And I also longed to hearWhat sweet strain of earthly musicThus could charm their ear. I heard the sound of many trumpetsIn a warlike march draw nigh;Solemnly a mighty armyPassed in order by. But […]

Lingering fade the rays of daylight, and the listening air is chilly;Voice of bird and forest murmur, insect hum and quivering sprayStir not in that quiet hour: through the valley, calm and stilly,All in hushed and loving silence watch the slow departing Day. Till the last faint western cloudlet, faint and rosy, ceases blushing,And the […]

Borrowed Thoughts

Story type: Poetry

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I. FROM “LAVATER.” Trust him little who doth raiseTo one height both great and small,And sets the sacred crown of praise,Smiling, on the head of all. Trust him less who looks aroundTo censure all with scornful eyes,And in everything has foundSomething that he dare despise. But for one who stands apart,Stirred by nought that can […]

Light And Shade

Story type: Poetry

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Thou hast done well to kneel and say,“Since He who gave can take away,And bid me suffer, I obey.” And also well to tell thy heartThat good lies in the bitterest part,And thou wilt profit by her smart. But bitter hours come to all:When even truths like these will pall,Sick hearts for humbler comfort call. […]

A Changeling

Story type: Poetry

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A little changeling spiritCrept to my arms one day:I had no heart or courageTo drive the child away. So all day long I soothed her,And hushed her on my breast;And all night long her wailingWould never let me rest. I dug a grave to hold her,A grave both dark and deep;I covered her with violets,And […]

Discouraged

Story type: Poetry

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Where the little babbling streamletFirst springs forth to light,Trickling through soft velvet mosses,Almost hid from sight;Vowed I with delight,–“River, I will follow thee,Through thy wanderings to the Sea!” Gleaming ‘mid the purple heather,Downward then it sped,Glancing through the mountain gorges,Like a silver thread,As it quicker fled,Louder music in its flow,Dashing to the Vale below. Then […]

I think if thou couldst know,Oh soul that will complain,What lies concealed belowOur burden and our pain;How just our anguish bringsNearer those longed-for thingsWe seek for now in vain,–I think thou wouldst rejoice, and not complain. I think if thou couldst see,With thy dim mortal sight,How meanings, dark to thee,Are shadows hiding light;Truth’s efforts crossed […]

If in the fight my arm was strong,And forced my foes to yield,If conquering and unhurt I cameBack from the battle-field–It is because thy prayers have beenMy safeguard and my shield. My comrades smile to see my armSpare or protect a foe,They think thy gentle pleading voiceWas silenced long ago;But pity and compassion, love,Were taught […]

A Comforter

Story type: Poetry

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I. Will she come to me, little Effie,Will she come in my arms to rest,And nestle her head on my shoulder,While the sun goes down in the west? II. “I and Effie will sit together,All alone, in this great arm-chair:-Is it silly to mind it, darling,When Life is so hard to bear? III. “No one […]

Unseen

Story type: Poetry

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There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than weCan dream of, or than nature understands;We learn not through our poor philosophyWhat hidden chords are touched by unseen hands. The present hour repeats upon its stringsEchoes of some vague dream we have forgot;Dim voices whisper half-remembered things,And when we pause to listen,–answer not. Forebodings come: […]

Nothing stirs the sunny silence,–Save the drowsy humming of the beesRound the rich, ripe peaches on the wall,And the south wind sighing in the trees,And the dead leaves rustling as they fall:While the swallows, one by one, are gathering,All impatient to be on the wing,And to wander from us, seekingTheir beloved Spring! Cloudless rise the […]

I. I. Yes, it looked dark and dreary,That long and narrow street:Only the sound of the rain,And the tramp of passing feet,The duller glow of the fire,And gathering mists of nightTo mark how slow and wearyThe long day’s cheerless flight! II. Watching the sullen fire,Hearing the dismal rain,Drop after drop, run downOn the darkening window-pane:Chill […]

An Ideal

Story type: Poetry

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While the grey mists of early dawnWere lingering round the hill,And the dew was still upon the flowers,And the earth lay calm and still,A winged Spirit came to meNoble, and radiant, and free. Folding his blue and shining wings,He laid his hand on mine.I know not if I felt, or heardThe mystic word divine,Which woke […]

Our Dead

Story type: Poetry

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Nothing is our own: we hold our pleasuresJust a little while, ere they are fled:One by one life robs us of our treasures;Nothing is our own except our Dead. They are ours, and hold in faithful keepingSafe for ever, all they took away.Cruel life can never stir that sleeping,Cruel time can never seize that prey. […]

FOUNDED ON AN OLD FRENCH LEGEND The fettered Spirits lingerIn purgatorial pain,With penal fires effacingTheir last faint earthly stain,Which Life’s imperfect sorrowHad tried to cleanse in vain. Yet on each feast of MaryTheir sorrow finds release,For the Great Archangel MichaelComes down and bids it cease;And the name of these brief respitesIs called “Our Lady’s Peace.” […]

A Contrast

Story type: Poetry

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Can you open that ebony Casket?Look, this is the key: but stay,Those are only a few old lettersWhich I keep,–to burn some day. Yes, that Locket is quaint and ancient;But leave it, dear, with the ring,And give me the little PortraitWhich hangs by a crimson string. I have never opened that CasketSince, many long years […]

The stars are gleaming;The maiden sleeps–What is she dreaming?For see–she weeps.By her side is an AngelWith folded wings;While the Maiden slumbersThe Angel sings:He sings of a Bridal,Of Love, of Pain,Of a heart to be given,–And all in vain;(See, her cheek is flushing,As if with pain;)He telleth of sorrow,Regrets and fears,And the few vain pleasuresWe buy […]

Not a sound is heard in the Convent;The Vesper Chant is sung,The sick have all been tended,The poor nun’s toils are endedTill the Matin bell has rung.All is still, save the Clock, that is tickingSo loud in the frosty air,And the soft snow, falling as gentlyAs an answer to a prayer.But an Angel whispers, “Oh, […]

Evening Hymn

Story type: Poetry

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The shadows of the evening hoursFall from the darkening sky;Upon the fragrance of the flowersThe dews of evening lie:Before Thy throne, O Lord of Heaven,We kneel at close of day;Look on Thy children from on high,And hear us while we pray. The sorrows of Thy Servants, Lord,Oh, do not Thou despise;But let the incense of […]

The Inner Chamber

Story type: Poetry

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In the outer Court I was singing,Was singing the whole day long;From the inner chamber were ringingEchoes repeating my song. And I sang till it grew immortal;For that very song of mine,When re-echoed behind the Portal,Was filled with a life divine. Was the Chamber a silver roundOf arches, whose magical artDrew in coils of musical […]

Hearts

Story type: Poetry

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I. A trinket made like a Heart, dear,Of red gold, bright and fine,Was given to me for a keepsake,Given to me for mine. And another heart, warm and tender,As true as a heart could be;And every throb that stirred itWas always and all for me. Sailing over the waters,Watching the far blue land,I dropped my […]

Two Loves

Story type: Poetry

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Deep within my heart of hearts, dear,Bound with all its strings,Two Loves are together reigningBoth are crowned like Kings;While my life, still uncomplaining,Rests beneath their wings. So they both will rule my heart, dear,Till it cease to beat;No sway can be deeper, stronger,Truer, more complete;Growing, as it lasts the longer,Sweeter, and more sweet. One all […]

Past And Present

Story type: Poetry

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“Linger,” I cried, “oh radiant Time! thy powerHas nothing more to give; life is complete:Let but the perfect Present, hour by hour,Itself remember and itself repeat. “And Love,–the future can but mar its splendour,Change can but dim the glory of its youth;Time has no star more faithful or more tender,To crown its constancy or light […]

For The Future

Story type: Poetry

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I wonder did you ever countThe value of one human fate;Or sum the infinite amountOf one heart’s treasures, and the weightOf Life’s one venture, and the whole concentrate purpose of a soul. And if you ever paused to thinkThat all this in your hands I laidWithout a fear:- did you not shrinkFrom such a burthen? […]

Dream-Life

Story type: Poetry

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Listen, friend, and I will tell youWhy I sometimes seem so glad,Then, without a reason changing,Soon become so grave and sad. Half my life I live a beggar,Ragged, helpless, and alone;But the other half a monarch,With my courtiers round my throne. Half my life is full of sorrow,Half of joy, still fresh and new;One of […]

My Will

Story type: Poetry

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Since I have no lands or houses,And no hoarded golden store,What can I leave those who love meWhen they see my face no more?Do not smile; I am not jesting,Though my words sound gay and light,Listen to me, dearest Alice,I will make my Will to-night. First for Mabel–who will neverLet the dust of future yearsDim […]

King And Slave

Story type: Poetry

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If in my soul, dear,An omen should dwell,Bidding me pause, ereI love thee too well;If the whole circle,Of noble and wise,With stern forebodings,Between us should rise. I will tell them, dear,That Love reigns–a King,Where storms cannot reach him,And words cannot sting;He counts it dishonourHis faith to recall;He trusts;–and for everHe gives–and gives all! I will […]

A Chant

Story type: Poetry

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“Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.” I. Who is the Angel that cometh?Life!Let us not question what he brings,Peace or Strife,Under the shade of his mighty wings,One by one,Are his secrets told;One by one,Lit by the rays of each morning sun,Shall a new flower its petals unfold,With the mystery hid in its heart of gold.We […]

Give Place

Story type: Poetry

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Starry Crowns of HeavenSet in azure night!Linger yet a littleEre you hide your light:-–Nay; let Starlight fade awayHeralding the day! Snowflakes pure and spotless,Still, oh, still remain,Binding dreary winter,In your silver chain:-–Nay; but melt at once and bringRadiant sunny Spring! Blossoms, gentle blossoms,Do not wither yet;Still for you the sun shines,Still the dews are wet:––Nay; […]

A New Mother

Story type: Poetry

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I was with my lady when she died:I it was who guided her weak handFor a blessing on each little head,Laid her baby by her on the bed,Heard the words they could not understand. And I drew them round my knee that night,Hushed their childish glee, and made them sayThey would keep her words with […]

A Lost Chord

Story type: Poetry

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Seated one day at the Organ,I was weary and ill at ease,And my fingers wandered idlyOver the noisy keys. I do not know what I was playing,Or what I was dreaming then;But I struck one chord of music,Like the sound of a great Amen. It flooded the crimson twilightLike the close of an Angel’s Psalm,And […]

A Crown Of Sorrow

Story type: Poetry

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A Sorrow, wet with early tearsYet bitter, had been long with me;I wearied of this weight of years,And would be free. I tore my Sorrow from my heart,I cast it far away in scorn;Right joyful that we two could part–Yet most forlorn. I sought, (to take my Sorrow’s place,)Over the world for flower or gem–But […]

A Shadow

Story type: Poetry

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What lack the valleys and mountainsThat once were green and gay?What lack the babbling fountains?Their voice is sad to-day.Only the sound of a voice,Tender and sweet and low,That made the earth rejoice,A year ago! What lack the tender flowers?A shadow is on the sun:What lack the merry hours,That I long that they were done?Only two […]

A Parting

Story type: Poetry

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Without one bitter feeling let us part–And for the years in which your love has shedA radiance like a glory round my head,I thank you, yes, I thank you from my heart. I thank you for the cherished hope of years,A starry future, dim and yet divine,Winging its way from Heaven to be mine,Laden with […]

The tender delicate Flowers,I saw them fanned by a warm western wind,Fed by soft summer showers,Shielded by care, and yet, (oh Fate unkind!)Fade in a few short hours. The gentle and the gay,Rich in a glorious Future of bright deeds,Rejoicing in the day,Are met by Death, who sternly, sadly leadsThem far away. And Hopes, perfumed […]

A Little Longer

Story type: Poetry

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A little longer yet–a little longer,Shall violets bloom for thee, and sweet birds sing;And the lime branches where soft winds are blowing,Shall murmur the sweet promise of the Spring! A little longer yet–a little longer,Thou shalt behold the quiet of the morn;While tender grasses and awakening flowersSend up a golden mist to greet the dawn! […]

Last night, when weary silence fell on all,And starless skies arose so dim and vast,I heard the Spirit of the Present callUpon the sleeping Spirit of the Past.Far off and near, I saw their radiance shine,And listened while they spoke of deeds divine. The Spirit of the Past. My deeds are writ in iron;My glory […]

Thankfulness

Story type: Poetry

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My God, I thank Thee who hast madeThe Earth so bright;So full of splendour and of joy,Beauty and light;So many glorious things are here,Noble and right! I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast madeJoy to abound;So many gentle thoughts and deedsCircling us round,That in the darkest spot of EarthSome love is found. I thank Thee […]

Phantoms

Story type: Poetry

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Back, ye Phantoms of the Past;In your dreary caves remain:What have I to do with memoriesOf a long-forgotten pain? For my Present is all peaceful,And my Future nobly planned:Long ago Time’s mighty billowsSwept your footsteps from the sand. Back into your caves; nor haunt meWith your voices full of woe;I have buried grief and sorrowIn […]

The Golden Gate

Story type: Poetry

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Dim shadows gather thickly round, and up the misty stair they climb,The cloudy stair that upward leads to where the closed portals shine,Round which the kneeling spirits wait the opening of the Golden Gate. And some with eager longing go, still pressing forward, hand in hand,And some with weary step and slow, look back where […]

I. If the dread day that calls thee hence,Through a red mist of fear should loom,(Closing in deadliest night and gloomLong hours of aching dumb suspense,)And leave me to my lonely doom. I think, beloved, I could seeIn thy dear eyes the loving lightGlaze into vacancy and night,And still say, “God is good to me,And […]

The Peace Of God

Story type: Poetry

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We ask for Peace, oh Lord!Thy children ask Thy Peace;Not what the world calls rest,That toil and care should cease,That through bright sunny hoursCalm Life should fleet away,And tranquil night should fadeIn smiling day;–It is not for such Peace that we would pray. We ask for Peace, oh Lord!Yet not to stand secure,Girt round with […]

Wishes

Story type: Poetry

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All the fluttering wishesCaged within thy heartBeat their wings against it,Longing to depart,Till they shake their prisonWith their wounded cry;Open wide thy heart to-day,And let the captives fly. Let them first fly upwardThrough the starry air,Till you almost lose them,For their home is there;Then, with outspread pinions,Circling round and round,Wing their way, whereverWant and woe […]

Recollections

Story type: Poetry

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As strangers, you and I are here;We both as aliens stand,Where once, in years gone by, I dweltNo stranger in the land.Then while you gaze on park and stream,Let me remain apart,And listen to the awakened soundOf voices in my heart. Here, where upon the velvet lawnThe cedar spreads its shade,And by the flower-beds all […]

The Settlers

Story type: Poetry

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Two stranger youths in the Far West,Beneath the ancient forest trees,Pausing, amid their toil to rest,Spake of their home beyond the seas;Spake of the hearts that beat so warmly,Of the hearts they loved so well.In their chilly northern country.“Would,” they cried, “some voice could tellWhere they are, our own beloved ones!”They looked up to the […]

What is it you ask me, darling?All my stories, child, you know;I have no strange dreams to tell you,Pictures I have none to show. Tell you glorious scenes of travel?Nay, my child, that cannot be,I have seen no foreign countries,Marvels none on land or sea. Yet strange sights in truth I witness,And I gaze until […]

“The clouds are fleeting by, father,Look in the shining west,The great white clouds sail onwardUpon the sky’s blue breast.Look at a snowy eagle,His wings are tinged with red,And a giant dolphin follows him,With a crown upon his head!” The father spake no word, but watchedThe drifting clouds roll by;He traced a misty vision tooUpon the […]

Hours

Story type: Poetry

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When the bright stars came out last night,And the dew lay on the flowers,I had a vision of delight–A dream of by-gone hours. Those hours that came and fled so fast,Of pleasure or of pain,As phantoms rose from out the pastBefore my eyes again. With beating heart did I beholdA train of joyous hours,Lit with […]

Hush

Story type: Poetry

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“I can scarcely hear,” she murmured,“For my heart beats loud and fast,But surely, in the far, far distance,I can hear a sound at last.”“It is only the reapers singing,As they carry home their sheaves,And the evening breeze has risen,And rustles the dying leaves.” “Listen! there are voices talking.”Calmly still she strove to speak,Yet her voice […]

Rest At Evening

Story type: Poetry

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When the weariness of Life is ended,And the task of our long day is done,And the props, on which our hearts depended,All have failed or broken, one by one;Evening and our Sorrow’s shadow blendedTelling us that peace is now begun. How far back will seem the sun’s first dawning,And those early mists so cold and […]

Golden Words

Story type: Poetry

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Some words are played on golden strings,Which I so highly rate,I cannot bear for meaner thingsTheir sound to desecrate. For every day they are not meet,Or for a careless tone;They are for rarest, and most sweet,And noblest use alone. One word is POET: which is flungSo carelessly away,When such as you and I have sung,We […]

True Or False

Story type: Poetry

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So you think you love me, do you?Well, it may be so;But there are many ways of lovingI have learnt to know.Many ways, and but one true way,Which is very rare;And the counterfeits look brightest,Though they will not wear. Yet they ring, almost, quite truly,Last (with care) for long;But in time must break, may shiverAt […]

A Retrospect

Story type: Poetry

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From this fair point of present bliss,Where we together stand,Let me look back once more, and traceThat long and desert land,Wherein till now was cast my lot, and I could live, and thou wert not. Strange that my heart could beat, and knowAlternate joy and pain,That suns could roll from east to west,And clouds could […]

Over The Mountain

Story type: Poetry

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Like dreary prison wallsThe stern grey mountains rise,Until their topmost cragsTouch the far gloomy skies:One steep and narrow pathWinds up the mountain’s crest,And from our valley leadsOut to the golden West. I dwell here in content,Thankful for tranquil days;And yet, my eyes grow dim,As still I gaze and gazeUpon that mountain pass,That leads–or so it […]

Envy

Story type: Poetry

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He was the first always: FortuneShone bright in his face.I fought for years; with no effortHe conquered the place:We ran; my feet were all bleeding,But he won the race. Spite of his many successesMen loved him the same;My one pale ray of good fortuneMet scoffing and blame.When we erred, they gave him pity,But me–only shame. […]

The lights extinguished, by the hearth I leant,Half weary with a listless discontent.The flickering giant-shadows, gathering near,Closed round me with a dim and silent fear.All dull, all dark; save when the leaping flame,Glancing, lit up a Picture’s ancient frame.Above the hearth it hung. Perhaps the night,My foolish tremors, or the gleaming light,Lent power to that […]

Optimus

Story type: Poetry

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There is a deep and subtle snareWhose sure temptation hardly fails,Which, just because it looks so fair,Only a noble heart assails. So all the more we need be strongAgainst this false and seeming Right;Which none the less is deadly wrong,Because it glitters clothed in light. When duties unfulfilled remain,Or noble works are left unplanned,Or when […]

Maximus

Story type: Poetry

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Many, if God should make them kings,Might not disgrace the throne He gave;How few who could as well fulfilThe holier office of a slave. I hold him great who, for Love’s sakeCan give, with generous, earnest will,–Yet he who takes for Love’s sweet sake,I think I hold more generous still. I prize the instinct that […]

Yes, I was sad and anxious,But now, dear, I am gay;I know that it is wisestTo put all hope away:-Thank God that I have done soAnd can be calm to-day. For hope deferred–you know it,Once made my heart so sick:Now, I expect no longer;It is but the old trickOf hope, that makes me tremble,And makes […]

The Requital

Story type: Poetry

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Loud roared the Tempest,Fast fell the sleet;A little Child AngelPassed down the street,With trailing pinions,And weary feet. The moon was hidden;No stars were bright;So she could not shelterIn heaven that night,For the Angels’ laddersAre rays of light. She beat her wingsAt each window pane,And pleaded for shelter,But all in vain:–“Listen,” they said,“To the pelting rain!” […]

The feast is spread through EnglandFor rich and poor to-day;Greetings and laughter may be there,But thoughts are far away;Over the stormy ocean,Over the dreary track,Where some are gone, whom EnglandWill never welcome back. Breathless she waits, and listensFor every eastern breezeThat bears upon its bloody wingsNews from beyond the seas.The leafless branches stirringMake many a […]

A Love Token

Story type: Poetry

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Do you grieve no costly offeringTo the Lady you can make?One there is, and gifts less worthyQueens have stooped to take. Take a Heart of virgin silver,Fashion it with heavy blows,Cast it into Love’s hot furnaceWhen it fiercest glows. With Pain’s sharpest point transfix it,And then carve in letters fair,Tender dreams and quaint devices,Fancies sweet […]

I am footsore and very weary,But I travel to meet a Friend:The way is long and dreary,But I know that it soon must end. He is travelling fast like the whirlwind,And though I creep slowly on,We are drawing nearer, nearer,And the journey is almost done. Through the heat of many summers,Through many a springtime rain,Through […]

Fidelis

Story type: Poetry

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You have taken back the promiseThat you spoke so long ago;Taken back the heart you gave me–I must even let it go.Where Love once has breathed, Pride dieth:So I struggled, but in vain,First to keep the links together,Then to piece the broken chain. But it might not be–so freelyAll your friendship I restore,And the heart […]

Incompleteness

Story type: Poetry

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Nothing resting in its own completenessCan have worth or beauty: but aloneBecause it leads and tends to farther sweetness,Fuller, higher, deeper than its own. Spring’s real glory dwells not in the meaning,Gracious though it be, of her blue hours;But is hidden in her tender leaningTo the Summer’s richer wealth of flowers. Dawn is fair, because […]

Girt round with rugged mountainsThe fair Lake Constance lies;In her blue heart reflectedShine back the starry skies;And, watching each white cloudletFloat silently and slow,You think a piece of HeavenLies on our earth below! Midnight is there: and Silence,Enthroned in Heaven, looks downUpon her own calm mirror,Upon a sleeping town:For Bregenz, that quaint cityUpon the Tyrol […]

Sow with a generous hand;Pause not for toil or pain;Weary not through the heat of summer,Weary not through the cold spring rain;But wait till the autumn comesFor the sheaves of golden grain. Scatter the seed, and fear not,A table will be spread;What matter if you are too wearyTo eat your hard-earned bread:Sow, while the earth […]

Give

Story type: Poetry

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See the rivers flowingDownwards to the sea,Pouring all their treasuresBountiful and free–Yet to help their givingHidden springs arise;Or, if need be, showersFeed them from the skies! Watch the princely flowersTheir rich fragrance spread,Load the air with perfumes,From their beauty shed–Yet their lavish spendingLeaves them not in dearth,With fresh life replenishedBy their mother earth! Give thy […]

My Journal

Story type: Poetry

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It is a dreary evening;The shadows rise and fall:With strange and ghostly changes,They flicker on the wall. Make the charred logs burn brighter;I will show you, by their blaze,The half-forgotten recordOf bygone things and days. Bring here the ancient volume;The clasp is old and worn,The gold is dim and tarnished,And the faded leaves are torn. […]

A Chain

Story type: Poetry

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The bond that links our souls together;Will it last through stormy weather?Will it moulder and decayAs the long hours pass away?Will it stretch if Fate divide us,When dark and weary hours have tried us?Oh, if it look too poor and slightLet us break the links to-night! It was not forged by mortal hands,Or clasped with […]

The Pilgrims

Story type: Poetry

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The way is long and dreary,The path is bleak and bare;Our feet are worn and weary,But we will not despair.More heavy was Thy burthen,More desolate Thy way;–Oh Lamb of God who takestThe sin of the world away,Have mercy on us. The snows lie thick around usIn the dark and gloomy night;And the tempest wails above […]

You wonder that my tears should flowIn listening to that simple strain;That those unskilful sounds should fillMy soul with joy and pain–How can you tell what thoughts it stirsWithin my heart again? You wonder why that common phrase,So all unmeaning to your ear,Should stay me in my merriest mood,And thrill my soul to hear–How can […]

The Dark Side

Story type: Poetry

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Thou hast done well, perhaps,To lift the bright disguise,And lay the bitter truthBefore our shrinking eyes;When evil crawls belowWhat seems so pure and fair,Thine eyes are keen and trueTo find the serpent there:And yet–I turn away;Thy task is not divine–The evil angels lookOn earth with eyes like thine. Thou hast done well, perhaps,To show how […]

A First Sorrow

Story type: Poetry

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Arise! this day shall shine,For evermore,To thee a star divine,On Time’s dark shore. Till now thy soul has beenAll glad and gay:Bid it awake, and lookAt grief to-day! No shade has come betweenThee and the sun;Like some long childish dreamThy life has run: But now the stream has reachedA dark, deep sea,And Sorrow, dim and […]

Murmurs

Story type: Poetry

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Why wilt thou make bright musicGive forth a sound of pain?Why wilt thou weave fair flowersInto a weary chain? Why turn each cool grey shadowInto a world of fears?Why say the winds are wailing?Why call the dewdrops tears? The voices of happy nature,And the Heaven’s sunny gleam,Reprove thy sick heart’s fancies,Upbraid thy foolish dream. Listen, […]

Moan, oh ye Autumn Winds!Summer has fled,The flowers have closed their tender leaves and die;The Lily’s gracious headAll low must lie,Because the gentle Summer now is dead. Grieve, oh ye Autumn Winds!Summer lies low;The rose’s trembling leaves will soon be shed,For she that loved her so,Alas, is dead!And one by one her loving children go. […]

The Unknown Grave

Story type: Poetry

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No name to bid us knowWho rests below,No word of death or birth,Only the grass’s wave,Over a mound of earth,Over a nameless grave. Did this poor wandering heartIn pain depart?Longing, but all too late,For the calm home again,Where patient watchers wait,And still will wait in vain. Did mourners come in scorn,And thus forlorn,Leave him, with […]

Give Me Thy Heart

Story type: Poetry

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With echoing steps the worshippersDeparted one by one;The organ’s pealing voice was stilled,The vesper hymn was done;The shadows fell from roof and arch,Dim was the incensed air,One lamp alone with trembling ray,Told of the Presence there! In the dark church she knelt alone;Her tears were falling fast;“Help, Lord,” she cried, “the shades of deathUpon my […]

The Wayside Inn

Story type: Poetry

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A little past the villageThe Inn stood, low and white;Green shady trees behind it,And an orchard on the right;Where over the green palingThe red-cheeked apples hung,As if to watch how wearilyThe sign-board creaked and swung. The heavy-laden branches,Over the road hung low,Reflected fruit or blossomFrom the wayside well below;Where children, drawing water,Looked up and paused […]

Changes

Story type: Poetry

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Mourn, O rejoicing heart!The hours are flying;Each one some treasure takes,Each one some blossom breaks,And leaves it dying;The chill dark night draws near,Thy sun will soon depart,And leave thee sighing;Then mourn, rejoicing heart,The hours are flying! Rejoice, O grieving heart!The hours fly fast;With each some sorrow dies,With each some shadow flies,Until at lastThe red dawn […]

Strive; yet I do not promiseThe prize you dream of to-dayWill not fade when you think to grasp it,And melt in your hand away;But another and holier treasure,You would now perchance disdain,Will come when your toil is over,And pay you for all your pain. Wait; yet I do not tell youThe hour you long for […]

A Tomb In Ghent

Story type: Poetry

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A smiling look she had, a figure slight,With cheerful air, and step both quick and light;A strange and foreign look the maiden bore,That suited the quaint Belgian dress she woreYet the blue fearless eyes in her fair face,And her soft voice told her of English race;And ever, as she flitted to and fro,She sang, (or […]

Why shouldst thou fear the beautiful angel, Death,Who waits thee at the portals of the skies,Ready to kiss away thy struggling breath,Ready with gentle hand to close thine eyes? How many a tranquil soul has passed away,Fled gladly from fierce pain and pleasures dim,To the eternal splendour of the day;And many a troubled heart still […]

Hush! I cannot bear to see theeStretch thy tiny hands in vain;Dear, I have no bread to give thee,Nothing, child, to ease thy pain!When God sent thee first to bless me,Proud, and thankful too, was I;Now, my darling I, thy mother,Almost long to see thee die.Sleep, my darling, thou art weary;God is good, but life […]

Be Strong

Story type: Poetry

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Be strong to hope, oh Heart!Though day is bright,The stars can only shineIn the dark night.Be strong, oh Heart of mine,Look towards the light! Be strong to bear, oh Heart!Nothing is vain:Strive not, for life is care,And God sends pain,Heaven is above, and thereRest will remain! Be strong to love, oh Heart!Love knows not wrong,Didst […]

God’s Gifts

Story type: Poetry

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God gave a gift to Earth:- a child,Weak, innocent, and undefiled,Opened its ignorant eyes and smiled. It lay so helpless, so forlorn,Earth took it coldly and in scorn,Cursing the day when it was born. She gave it first a tarnished name,For heritage, a tainted fame,Then cradled it in want and shame. All influence of Good […]

Shining Stars

Story type: Poetry

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Shine, ye stars of heaven,On a world of pain!See old Time destroyingAll our hoarded gain;All our sweetest flowers,Every stately shrine,All our hard-earned glory,Every dream divine! Shine, ye stars of heaven,On the rolling years!See how Time, consoling,Dries the saddest tears,Bids the darkest storm-cloudsPass in gentle rain;While upspring in glory,Flowers and dreams again! Shine, ye stars of […]

Cleansing Fires

Story type: Poetry

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Let thy gold be cast in the furnace,Thy red gold, precious and bright,Do not fear the hungry fire,With its caverns of burning light:And thy gold shall return more precious,Free from every spot and stain;For gold must be tried by fire,As a heart must be tried by pain! In the cruel fire of SorrowCast thy heart, […]

Let us throw more logs on the fire!We have need of a cheerful light,And close round the hearth to gather,For the wind has risen to-night.With the mournful sound of its wailingIt has checked the children’s glee,And it calls with a louder clamourThan the clamour of the sea.Hark to the voice of the wind! Let us […]

Treasures

Story type: Poetry

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Let me count my treasures,All my soul holds dear,Given me by dark spiritsWhom I used to fear. Through long days of anguish,And sad nights, did PainForge my shield, Endurance,Bright and free from stain! Doubt, in misty caverns,‘Mid dark horrors sought,Till my peerless jewel,Faith to me she brought. Sorrow, that I weariedShould remain so long,Wreathed my […]

Linger, oh, gentle Time,Linger, oh, radiant grace of bright To-day!Let not the hours’ chimeCall thee away,But linger near me still with fond delay. Linger, for thou art mine!What dearer treasures can the future hold?What sweeter flowers than thineCan she unfold?What secrets tell my heart thou hast not told? Oh, linger in thy flight!For shadows gather […]

A Student

Story type: Poetry

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Over an ancient scroll I bent,Steeping my soul in wise content,Nor paused a moment, save to chideA low voice whispering at my side. I wove beneath the stars’ pale shineA dream, half human, half divine;And shook off (not to break the charm)A little hand laid on my arm. I read; until my heart would glowWith […]

A Knight Errant

Story type: Poetry

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Though he lived and died among us,Yet his name may be enrolledWith the knights whose deeds of daringAncient chronicles have told. Still a stripling, he encounteredPoverty, and struggled long,Gathering force from every effort,Till he knew his arm was strong. Then his heart and life he offeredTo his radiant mistress–Truth;Never thought, or dream, or faltering,Marred the […]

The Three Rulers

Story type: Poetry

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I saw a Ruler take his standAnd trample on a mighty land;The People crouched before his beck,His iron heel was on their neck,His name shone bright through blood and pain,His sword flashed back their praise again. I saw another Ruler rise–His words were noble, good, and wise;With the calm sceptre of his penHe ruled the […]

A Dead Past

Story type: Poetry

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Spare her at least: look, you have taken from meThe Present, and I murmur not, nor moan;The Future too, with all her glorious promise;But do not leave me utterly alone. Spare me the Past–for, see, she cannot harm you,She lies so white and cold, wrapped in her shroud;All, all my own! and, trust me, I […]

A Doubting Heart

Story type: Poetry

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Where are the swallows fled?Frozen and dead,Perchance upon some bleak and stormy shore.Oh doubting heart!Far over purple seas,They wait, in sunny ease,The balmy southern breeze,To bring them to their northern homes once more. Why must the flowers die?Prisoned they lieIn the cold tomb, heedless of tears or rain.Oh doubting heart!They only sleep belowThe soft white […]

True Honours

Story type: Poetry

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Is my darling tired already,Tired of her day of play?Draw your little stool beside me,Smooth this tangled hair away.Can she put the logs together,Till they make a cheerful blaze?Shall her blind old Uncle tell herSomething of his youthful days? Hark! The wind among the cedarsWaves their white arms to and fro;I remember how I watched […]

Before I trust my Fate to thee,Or place my hand in thine,Before I let thy Future giveColour and form to mine,Before I peril all for thee, question thy soul to-night for me. I break all slighter bonds, nor feelA shadow of regret:Is there one link within the Past,That holds thy spirit yet?Or is thy Faith […]

Friend Sorrow

Story type: Poetry

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Do not cheat thy Heart and tell her,“Grief will pass away,Hope for fairer times in future,And forget to-day.”–Tell her, if you will, that sorrowNeed not come in vain;Tell her that the lesson taught herFar outweighs the pain. Cheat her not with the old comfort,“Soon she will forget”–Bitter truth, alas–but matterRather for regret;Bid her not “Seek […]

My Picture

Story type: Poetry

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Stand this way–more near the window–By my desk–you see the lightFalling on my picture better–Thus I see it while I write! Who the head may be I know not,But it has a student air;With a look half sad, half stately,Grave sweet eyes and flowing hair. Little care I who the painter,How obscure a name he […]

Judge Not

Story type: Poetry

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Judge not; the workings of his brainAnd of his heart thou canst not see;What looks to thy dim eyes a stain,In God’s pure light may only beA scar, brought from some well-won field,Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. The look, the air, that frets thy sight,May be a token, that belowThe soul has closed […]

Through the blue and frosty heavensChristmas stars were shining bright;Glistening lamps throughout the CityAlmost matched their gleaming light;While the winter snow was lying,And the winter winds were sighing,Long ago, one Christmas night. While, from every tower and steeple,Pealing bells were sounding clear,(Never with such tones of gladness,Save when Christmas time is near,)Many a one that […]

A False Genius

Story type: Poetry

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I see a Spirit by thy side,Purple-winged and eagle-eyed,Looking like a Heavenly guide. Though he seem so bright and fair,Ere thou trust his proffered care,Pause a little, and beware! If he bid thee dwell apart,Tending some ideal smartIn a sick and coward heart; In self-worship wrapped alone,Dreaming thy poor griefs are grownMore than other men […]