 | Miscellaneous poems (1861) |  |
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LINES TO THE PEOPLE OF ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, ON THE INAUGURATION OF THEIR INFIRMARY.
Fair town of toil, whose enterprise and power
Expand and strengthen every day and hour,
To thy brave sons all honour and all praise!
For they have laboured with one mind to raise
A free asylum for the suffering poor,
And opened wide its hospitable door.
When sudden sickness lays the poor man low,
And fills his house with hopelessness and woe,
While want looks out from each surrounding face,
Here is his calmest and securest place;
When quick disaster smites him unaware,
And shrouds his mind in shadows of despair,
Here he may find a refuge if he will,
Prompt help, sweet quiet, sympathy and skill,
And every needful effort to restore
The husband—father—to his home once more.
Expand and strengthen every day and hour,
To thy brave sons all honour and all praise!
For they have laboured with one mind to raise
A free asylum for the suffering poor,
And opened wide its hospitable door.
When sudden sickness lays the poor man low,
And fills his house with hopelessness and woe,
While want looks out from each surrounding face,
Here is his calmest and securest place;
When quick disaster smites him unaware,
And shrouds his mind in shadows of despair,
Here he may find a refuge if he will,
Prompt help, sweet quiet, sympathy and skill,
And every needful effort to restore
The husband—father—to his home once more.
Honour and praise unto the wealthy band
Who gave their gold with unbegrudging hand,—
Gave energy, experience, and mind,
To the wise purpose, manfully designed;
Until they saw, with not unholy pride,
The good work done, the people satisfied:
Praise to the toiling thousands! they could see
The power and beauty of swect charity;
Gave from their humble earnings what they could,
For the fulfilment of the general good;
With ready hands and willing hearts obeyed
The impulse of humanity, that swayed
Their better natures with a magic rod,
And made them bow—unconsciously—to God.
Who gave their gold with unbegrudging hand,—
Gave energy, experience, and mind,
To the wise purpose, manfully designed;
Until they saw, with not unholy pride,
The good work done, the people satisfied:
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The power and beauty of swect charity;
Gave from their humble earnings what they could,
For the fulfilment of the general good;
With ready hands and willing hearts obeyed
The impulse of humanity, that swayed
Their better natures with a magic rod,
And made them bow—unconsciously—to God.
Courage, fair Ashton! nobly hast thou done
In this one thing, but not in this alone;
For though thy sons are rough in mien and speech,
Have much to learn, and much, perchance, to teach,
They are not destitute of those desires
Which a true sense of liberty inspires;
And in the march of progress, fain would find
A forward rank, not to be left behind.
In this one thing, but not in this alone;
For though thy sons are rough in mien and speech,
Have much to learn, and much, perchance, to teach,
They are not destitute of those desires
Which a true sense of liberty inspires;
And in the march of progress, fain would find
A forward rank, not to be left behind.
But where's thy park? within whose quiet bowers
Thy toiling sons may spend their leisure hours,
In social converse, or in thoughtful calm,
To the worn mind a sweet and strengthening balm,
Far better than the noisy haunts of sin,
That sap the body, soil the soul within,
And keep its fluttering and feeble wings
Down to the level of all vulgar things.
Thy toiling sons may spend their leisure hours,
In social converse, or in thoughtful calm,
To the worn mind a sweet and strengthening balm,
Far better than the noisy haunts of sin,
That sap the body, soil the soul within,
And keep its fluttering and feeble wings
Down to the level of all vulgar things.
Thou hast thy schools, and labourest to increase
Those Sabbath homes of knowledge and of peace;
May they still grow in numbers and renown,
Thronged with the happy children of the town,
Extracting wisdom from the Sacred Page,
The light of youth, the comfort of old age,
The precious Bible, destined to expand
The power and freedom of our native land.
Those Sabbath homes of knowledge and of peace;
May they still grow in numbers and renown,
Thronged with the happy children of the town,
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The light of youth, the comfort of old age,
The precious Bible, destined to expand
The power and freedom of our native land.
Thou hast thy Institute. Ah! there, indeed,
Thou might'st increase thy energy and speed,
Infuse more life, impart more strength and grace,
Give more attractions to that needful place;
Draw greater numbers to partake the store
Of useful knowledge, pure and priceless lore,
Treasured in books that rouse the slumbering mind
To thoughts devoted, lofty, and refined;
Books written for twin truth and virtue's sake,
To keep man's spirit healthfully awake.
Let it not lag and languish,—from this hour
Afford it new appliances and power,
And some day to its credit may belong
Some famous son of science or of song.
Thou might'st increase thy energy and speed,
Infuse more life, impart more strength and grace,
Give more attractions to that needful place;
Draw greater numbers to partake the store
Of useful knowledge, pure and priceless lore,
Treasured in books that rouse the slumbering mind
To thoughts devoted, lofty, and refined;
Books written for twin truth and virtue's sake,
To keep man's spirit healthfully awake.
Let it not lag and languish,—from this hour
Afford it new appliances and power,
And some day to its credit may belong
Some famous son of science or of song.
On, sons of Ashton! pause not by the way,
On towards the dawning of a brighter day!
Take ye a worthy and exalted place
'Mong those who dignify the human race;
And while I live, the honours that ye gain
Shall wake my lowly harp to a triumphant strain.
On towards the dawning of a brighter day!
Take ye a worthy and exalted place
'Mong those who dignify the human race;
And while I live, the honours that ye gain
Shall wake my lowly harp to a triumphant strain.
| Miscellaneous poems (1861) | |