 | Poems of home and country |  |
THINGS SMALL AND GREAT.
Who shall not love the weak and young?
The oak-tree, wide and tall,
A shade on land, a ship at sea,
Was once an acorn small.
The oak-tree, wide and tall,
A shade on land, a ship at sea,
Was once an acorn small.
Who shall not love the bloom of youth?
The buds of blushing spring
In summer beauty will expand,
And richest harvests bring.
The buds of blushing spring
In summer beauty will expand,
And richest harvests bring.
Who shall not love the cloud that floats,
Slight as the human hand,
But in its fertile bosom bears,
Blessings for all the land?
Slight as the human hand,
But in its fertile bosom bears,
Blessings for all the land?
Who shall not love the opening world?
The morning's first faint ray
Shines, a sweet harbinger of joy,
Earnest of perfect day.
The morning's first faint ray
Shines, a sweet harbinger of joy,
Earnest of perfect day.
Who would not teach the infant tongue
To lisp the Saviour's name?
The Saviour ransomed such as these,
For such as these He came.
To lisp the Saviour's name?
The Saviour ransomed such as these,
For such as these He came.
192
Who would not deem the smallest gem
Worthy his utmost care,
To fit it for the radiant crown
The Saviour's brow shall wear?
Worthy his utmost care,
To fit it for the radiant crown
The Saviour's brow shall wear?
September 7, 1893.
| Poems of home and country | |