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The White Dove
by
“Thou art mine!”
“I am thine,” fell responsive from the maiden’s lips; and an infinite blessedness flowed into the loving, satisfied heart of Gotleib.
The next day brought with it a new and beautiful joy,–a letter from the beloved one, conveyed into his hand as he tenderly pressed hers, at parting. For this his thirsty soul had yearned–for some expression of the maiden’s heart-love that had as yet gleamed upon him but momentarily from her modest eyes. But alone in his chamber, with the dear letter before him! Ah, now indeed he was to lift the veil that hid his life’s treasure. To have revealed to him the heart and mind of the beloved one. And his whole being went forth to her as he read the tender revealings. She wrote:
“Gotleib! my heart would fain speak to thine. It longs to say gratefully, ‘I love thee, thou heaven-sent one.’ And I would tell thee of a dream that came to me last night in my heart’s beautiful happiness.
“I was reading aloud to my mother in the book you lent me. I read of how the angels ever have their faces turned to the Divine Sun. Of how their shining brows are ever attracted to this central point, in whatever position they may be–even as our feet are attracted to the central point of the earth. I was happy in this beautiful truth, and felt that through my love for thee, my thought was lifted upward, and my face, too, was turned to the Lord; and when sleep came, it seemed as if my happy spirit was conscious of a new and beautiful existence. I found myself in a large place, and a company of angelic spirits surrounded me; and we were seated at a table, adorned with an exceeding elegance, and having many varieties of food, of which we partook, but without a consciousness of taste–only there was a genial delight of mind arising from the mutual love of all those bright ones. An angel-woman spoke to me and said, ‘This is the Lord’s Supper; appropriate to thyself the goods and truths of His heavenly kingdom.’ While she thus spoke, I saw thee, dear Gotleib, approach, with such a smiling and beautiful grace, and thou saidst to me, holding my hand–‘Sweet one! how bright thou art! Hast thou learnt some new truth! for thou art ever bright, when thou dost perceive a new truth!’ Then I answered, ‘Ah, yes, indeed! I have learned a beautiful new truth;’ and I led thee to an east window and pointed upward to the great Sun, that shone in such a Divine effulgence–then I told thee how the angels were held by the attraction of love in this centre of being–even as the children of the world are held by the attraction of gravitation to the earth–and as we talked, the light shone around thee, dear Gotleib! with so heavenly a glory, that my heart was filled with a new love for thee. For I saw, truly, that thou wert a child of God, and in loving thee I loved Him who shone in such a radiant glory upon thee. Oh! was not this a pleasant dream? Gotleib! what worlds of beauty thou hast opened to me! Once my thought was so narrow, so bound down to the earth; but thou hast lifted me above the earth. A woman’s heart is so weak–it is like a trailing vine, that cannot lift itself up until its curling tendrils are wound round the lofty tree-tops of a man’s ascending thought. Gotleib, thus dost thou bear me up into the serene, bright heavens, and like some blooming flowery vine will my love ever seek to adorn thy noble thoughts.”
Gotleib was charmed with the maiden’s thoughts. Oh, yes–her flowers were already flying over his highest branches. She soared above him, and through her heavenly truths were growing clearer to him. How grateful he was to his Heavenly Father, that from his own bosom, as it were, was born his spirit’s companion. But her life was from God–and how holy was her whole being to him! She was enthroned in his inmost heart, to be for ever treasured as the highest and best gift of God.