University of Virginia Library

RUTH.

“Thy God shall be my God!” Strong was the faith
Of that young Moabitess, who forsook
Her native country and her father's house
For Israel's God. There is no spot on earth
Where sunshine is so bright, the dew so pure,
The grass so green, the summer flowers so sweet,
The birds so blithe, as in our native land.
Beside our father's hearthstone gushes up
The only spring of human tenderness
In which the heart can bathe without a fear
Of falsehood, treachery, or forgetfulness.
But Ruth had heard of God. She could not stay
Where men bow down to demons; so she broke
All her heart's idols, and went trembling forth,
Poor, and a widow, to a stranger land,
To seek the living God. No dream of love,
Of wealth, or fame, allured her. Meek of heart
Was that fair gentle creature, who went forth
To be a gleaner in the field of him
With whom she should find grace. Well didst thou prove,
Thou young devoted proselyte to God,
That he is a rewarder of all those
That diligently seek him.
Couldst thou then,
While gleaning barley o'er the stubble-field,
Have look'd beyond the impenetrable mist
That hides the vista of futurity
From our presumptuous vision, thou hadst seen
Love, wealth, and princely honours waiting thee;
And thy descendants, an illustrious line
Of kings and princes, reaching down to Him,
Of whose dominion there shall be no end,
And thy name written for posterity,
And honoured to the latest hour of time.