Ballads for the Times (Now first collected,) Geraldine, A Modern Pyramid, Bartenus, A Thousand Lines, and other poems. By Martin F. Tupper. A new Edition, enlarged and revised |
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Benevolence.
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 | Ballads for the Times |  |
373
Benevolence.
There is indeed one crowning joy,
A pleasure that can never cloy,
The bliss of doing good;
And to it a reward is given
Most precious in the sight of heaven,
The tear of gratitude.
A pleasure that can never cloy,
The bliss of doing good;
And to it a reward is given
Most precious in the sight of heaven,
The tear of gratitude.
To raise the fallen from the dust,
To right the poor by judgment just,
The broken heart to heal,
Pour on the soul a stream as bright
Of satisfying deep delight
As happy spirits feel:
To right the poor by judgment just,
The broken heart to heal,
Pour on the soul a stream as bright
Of satisfying deep delight
As happy spirits feel:
Yes, high archangels wing their way
Far from the golden founts of day
To scenes of earthly sadness,
That they may comfort the distress'd,—
And feel in blessing, deeply blest,
In gladd'ning, full of gladness.
Far from the golden founts of day
To scenes of earthly sadness,
That they may comfort the distress'd,—
And feel in blessing, deeply blest,
In gladd'ning, full of gladness.
The choicest happiness there is,
The glorious Godhead's perfect bliss,
Is born of doing good;
He looks around, and sees the eye
Of all creation spangled by
The tear of gratitude!
The glorious Godhead's perfect bliss,
Is born of doing good;
He looks around, and sees the eye
Of all creation spangled by
The tear of gratitude!
374
All hail, my country's noble sons,
Ye Heaven-Sent unselfish ones,
Who every realm have trod
Smit with the love of doing good,—
O that my portion with you stood!
For ye are like your God!
Ye Heaven-Sent unselfish ones,
Who every realm have trod
Smit with the love of doing good,—
O that my portion with you stood!
For ye are like your God!
And lives there one, who never felt
His heart with zeal or kindness melt,
Nor ever dropt a tear
Of sympathy for other's woe?
If such a man exist below
A fiend in flesh is here.
His heart with zeal or kindness melt,
Nor ever dropt a tear
Of sympathy for other's woe?
If such a man exist below
A fiend in flesh is here.
Brethren, unsatisfied with earth,
Who feel how heartless is its mirth
How transient is its joy,
Ye may,—there only wants the will,—
Your dearest hope of bliss fulfil,
Of bliss without alloy:
Who feel how heartless is its mirth
How transient is its joy,
Ye may,—there only wants the will,—
Your dearest hope of bliss fulfil,
Of bliss without alloy:
Most glad a thing it is and sweet,
To sit and learn at Wisdom's feet,
And hear her blessed voice;
First in her comforts to be glad,
And then, to comfort other sad,
And teach them to rejoice.
To sit and learn at Wisdom's feet,
And hear her blessed voice;
First in her comforts to be glad,
And then, to comfort other sad,
And teach them to rejoice.
How sweet it is to link again
Estranged affection's broken chain,
And soothe the sorrowing breast;
To be the favour'd one that may
Recall to love hearts torn away,
And thus by both be blest.
Estranged affection's broken chain,
And soothe the sorrowing breast;
To be the favour'd one that may
Recall to love hearts torn away,
And thus by both be blest.
375
Rich men and proud, who fain would find
Some new indulgence for the mind,
Some scheme to gladden self,
If ye will feed the famish'd poor,
Happiness shall ye buy, far more
Than with a mint of pelf:
Some new indulgence for the mind,
Some scheme to gladden self,
If ye will feed the famish'd poor,
Happiness shall ye buy, far more
Than with a mint of pelf:
Ye cannot see the tearful eye,
Ye cannot hear the grateful sigh,
Nor feel yourselves beloved
By the pale children of distress
Whom ye have been the gods to bless,—
With hearts unthrill'd, unmoved.
Ye cannot hear the grateful sigh,
Nor feel yourselves beloved
By the pale children of distress
Whom ye have been the gods to bless,—
With hearts unthrill'd, unmoved.
And you, who love your fellow-men,
And feel a sacred transport, when
Ye can that love fulfil,—
Go, rescue yonder tortured brute,
Its gratitude indeed is mute,
But, oh! it loves you still.
And feel a sacred transport, when
Ye can that love fulfil,—
Go, rescue yonder tortured brute,
Its gratitude indeed is mute,
But, oh! it loves you still.
Children of science, who delight
To track out wisdom's beauty bright
In earth, or sea, or sky,—
While nature's lovely face you scan,
Go, seek and save some erring man,
And set his hope on high!
To track out wisdom's beauty bright
In earth, or sea, or sky,—
While nature's lovely face you scan,
Go, seek and save some erring man,
And set his hope on high!
But still reflect that all the good
Ye do, demands your gratitude,
For 'tis a heav'nly boon,
That should for its own sake be sought,
Though to itself is kindly brought
A blessing sweet and soon:
Ye do, demands your gratitude,
For 'tis a heav'nly boon,
That should for its own sake be sought,
Though to itself is kindly brought
A blessing sweet and soon:
376
It is reward to imitate,
In comforting the desolate,
That gracious One who stood
A ransom for a ruin'd world,
And still, Himself to ruin hurl'd,
Found evil for His good:
In comforting the desolate,
That gracious One who stood
A ransom for a ruin'd world,
And still, Himself to ruin hurl'd,
Found evil for His good:
And what an argument for pray'r
Hath yearning Mercy written there,
For if indeed “to give
Is blessed rather than the gift”—
Go ye, to heaven the voice uplift,
And then ye must receive.
Hath yearning Mercy written there,
For if indeed “to give
Is blessed rather than the gift”—
Go ye, to heaven the voice uplift,
And then ye must receive.
| Ballads for the Times | |