University of Virginia Library

LIFE'S MYSTERY.

Life's sadly solemn mystery
Hangs o'er me like a weight;
The glorious longing to be free,
The gloomy bars of fate.
Alternately the good and ill,
The light and dark, are strung;
Fountains of love within my heart,
And hate upon my tongue.
Beneath my feet the unstable ground,
Above my head the skies;
Immortal longings in my soul,
And death before my eyes.
No purely pure, and perfect good,
No high, unhindered power:
A beauteous promise in the bud,
And mildew on the flower.
The glad, green brightness of the spring;
The summer, soft and warm;
The faded autumn's fluttering gold,
The whirlwind and the storm.
To find some sure interpreter
My spirit vainly tries;
I only know that God is love.
And know that love is wise.