 | The collected poems of William Ellery Channing the younger, 1817-1901 |  |
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THE FUTURE.
BY WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING.
A sound of music floats upon the wind,Tempering the discord of the general mind,
A lovely spirits minister to men
As in old times, their ravishment again.
The time has dawned when no more virtue lies,
Sport for the mocking tongues, whose flatteries
Have whispered consolation, but to make
Our destiny a darker semblance take.
Such was the counsel of the wise and meek,
In future times true nobleness to seek,
With reverence and holy hope alive
Which never from his mind his age might drive.
So onward, onward, men of every clime,
Look for the great wise age in coming time,
And as ye feel how it is now your own,
Let all around you breathe its happy tone.
| The collected poems of William Ellery Channing the younger, 1817-1901 | |