The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince Edited by R. A. Douglas Lithgow |
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A FLOWER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. |
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 | The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince |  |
296
A FLOWER OF THE HOUSEHOLD.
Sweet darling of our wedded souls,
With beauty on thy brow,
We ask that God's best benison
May follow thee from now;—
That little care, and less of sin,
May meet thee on thy way,
Is our heart-uttered hope and prayer
On this thy natal day.
With beauty on thy brow,
We ask that God's best benison
May follow thee from now;—
That little care, and less of sin,
May meet thee on thy way,
Is our heart-uttered hope and prayer
On this thy natal day.
As yet, thou wear'st the hues of Heaven,
Whence thy young spirit came,
To share the chances of our lot,
And bear our lowly name;
As yet, thou art unsoiled by sin,
Aloof from painful strife,
In the first flush of childhood's prime,
The Paradise of life:
Whence thy young spirit came,
To share the chances of our lot,
And bear our lowly name;
As yet, thou art unsoiled by sin,
Aloof from painful strife,
In the first flush of childhood's prime,
The Paradise of life:
Life's Paradise,—for angel eyes
Look on thee from afar,
And see no envious shadow yet
To dim thy natal star;
No messenger is at the gate
To startle and expel,
And drive thee, weeping, from the place
Where thou shouldst ever dwell.
Look on thee from afar,
And see no envious shadow yet
To dim thy natal star;
No messenger is at the gate
To startle and expel,
And drive thee, weeping, from the place
Where thou shouldst ever dwell.
297
And thou hast brought unto our eyes,
From a celestial shore,
Charms which suggest that happy realm
Where seraphim adore;
Grace, innocence, and health, and joy,
Are now thy precious dower;
What pity that the dust of earth
Should stain so sweet a flower!
From a celestial shore,
Charms which suggest that happy realm
Where seraphim adore;
Grace, innocence, and health, and joy,
Are now thy precious dower;
What pity that the dust of earth
Should stain so sweet a flower!
Gaily thou goest to and fro,
Unconscious of all wrong,
With a sweet light upon thy face,
And music on thy tongue;
And in thy presence we receive,
What make our thoughts more bright,
A portion of thy purity,
A share of thy delight.
Unconscious of all wrong,
With a sweet light upon thy face,
And music on thy tongue;
And in thy presence we receive,
What make our thoughts more bright,
A portion of thy purity,
A share of thy delight.
Thy pure, spontaneous narratives
Evince mind's growing powers;
Thy artless questions test the strength
Of wiser minds than ours;
Thy transient moods of gravity,
Thy bursts of happy glee,
Thy whole demeanour—brisk or calm—
Strengthen our love for thee.
Evince mind's growing powers;
Thy artless questions test the strength
Of wiser minds than ours;
Thy transient moods of gravity,
Thy bursts of happy glee,
Thy whole demeanour—brisk or calm—
Strengthen our love for thee.
We watch thy merry winsome ways,
And inwardly rejoice;
Our ears are charmed, our hearts are moved,
By thy seductive voice.
We touch thee with a fond caress,
Our feelings brimming o'er,
And own that Heaven has lent to us
One priceless blessing more.
And inwardly rejoice;
Our ears are charmed, our hearts are moved,
By thy seductive voice.
We touch thee with a fond caress,
Our feelings brimming o'er,
And own that Heaven has lent to us
One priceless blessing more.
298
And we, by help of light divine,
Will strive to guide thee so
That hope, faith, firmness, peace, and joy,
May mark thy lot below;
Such is our wish—though we may fail
In what we strive to do;
But the great, good, and guardian Power
Will bring thee safely through.
Will strive to guide thee so
That hope, faith, firmness, peace, and joy,
May mark thy lot below;
Such is our wish—though we may fail
In what we strive to do;
But the great, good, and guardian Power
Will bring thee safely through.
Cares will be thine, for such we need
To curb unjust desires,
To make us feel our littleness,
And quench unhallowed fires;
But oh! when thou art called to leave
This sphere of strife and sin,
May smiling angels stoop from Heaven,
And take our darling in!
To curb unjust desires,
To make us feel our littleness,
And quench unhallowed fires;
But oh! when thou art called to leave
This sphere of strife and sin,
May smiling angels stoop from Heaven,
And take our darling in!
| The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince | |