 | Verses of a life time |  |
162
TO THE URSULINES.
O pure and gentle ones, within your ark
Securely rest!
Blue be the sky above—your quiet bark
By soft winds blest!
Securely rest!
Blue be the sky above—your quiet bark
By soft winds blest!
Still toil in duty and commune with Heaven
World-weaned and free;
God to his humblest creatures room has given
And space to be.
World-weaned and free;
God to his humblest creatures room has given
And space to be.
Space for the eagle in the vaulted sky
To plume his wing—
Space for the ring-dove by her young to lie,
And softly sing.
To plume his wing—
Space for the ring-dove by her young to lie,
And softly sing.
Space for the sun-flower, bright with yellow glow
To court the sky—
Space for the violet, where the wild woods grow,
To live and die.
To court the sky—
Space for the violet, where the wild woods grow,
To live and die.
163
Space for the ocean, in its giant might,
To swell and rave—
Space for the river, tinged with rosy light,
Where green banks wave.
To swell and rave—
Space for the river, tinged with rosy light,
Where green banks wave.
Space for the sun to tread his path in might,
And golden pride—
Space for the glow-worm, calling, by her light,
Love to her side.
And golden pride—
Space for the glow-worm, calling, by her light,
Love to her side.
Then pure and gentle ones, within your ark
Securely rest!
Blue be the skies above, and your still bark
By kind winds blest.
Securely rest!
Blue be the skies above, and your still bark
By kind winds blest.
Quebec, Lower Canada, 1836.
| Verses of a life time | |