 | The American common-place book of poetry |  |
Funeral Hymn.—Christian Examiner.
He has gone to his God; he has gone to his home,
No more amid peril and error to roam;
His eyes are no longer dim;
His feet will no more falter;
No grief can follow him;
No pang his cheek can alter.
No more amid peril and error to roam;
His eyes are no longer dim;
His feet will no more falter;
No grief can follow him;
No pang his cheek can alter.
There are paleness, and weeping, and sighs below;
For our faith is faint, and our tears will flow;
But the harps of heaven are ringing;
Glad angels come to greet him;
And hymns of joy are singing
While old friends press to meet him.
For our faith is faint, and our tears will flow;
But the harps of heaven are ringing;
Glad angels come to greet him;
And hymns of joy are singing
While old friends press to meet him.
O honored, beloved, to earth unconfined,
Thou hast soared on high; thou hast left us behind.
But our parting is not forever;
We will follow thee, by heaven's light,
Where the grave cannot dissever
The souls whom God will unite.
Thou hast soared on high; thou hast left us behind.
But our parting is not forever;
We will follow thee, by heaven's light,
Where the grave cannot dissever
The souls whom God will unite.
140
Yes, visions of his future rest
To man, the pilgrim, here are shown;
Deep love, pure friendship, thrill his breast,
And hopes rush in of joys unknown.
To man, the pilgrim, here are shown;
Deep love, pure friendship, thrill his breast,
And hopes rush in of joys unknown.
Released from earth's dull round of cares,
The aspiring soul her vigor tries;
Plumes her soiled pinions, and prepares
To soar amid ethereal skies.
The aspiring soul her vigor tries;
Plumes her soiled pinions, and prepares
To soar amid ethereal skies.
Around us float, in changing light,
The dazzling forms of distant years;
And earth becomes a glorious sight,
Beyond which opening heaven appears.
The dazzling forms of distant years;
And earth becomes a glorious sight,
Beyond which opening heaven appears.
We did not part as others part;
And should we meet on earth no more,
Yet deep and dear, within my heart,
Some thoughts will rest, a treasured store.
And should we meet on earth no more,
Yet deep and dear, within my heart,
Some thoughts will rest, a treasured store.
How oft, when weary and alone,
Have I recalled each word, each look,
The meaning of each varying tone,
And the last parting glance we took!
Have I recalled each word, each look,
The meaning of each varying tone,
And the last parting glance we took!
Yes, sometimes, even here, are found
Those who can touch the chords of love,
And wake a glad and holy sound,
Like that which fills the courts above.
Those who can touch the chords of love,
And wake a glad and holy sound,
Like that which fills the courts above.
It is as when a traveller hears,
In a strange land, his native tongue,
A voice he loved in happier years,
A song that once his mother sung.
In a strange land, his native tongue,
A voice he loved in happier years,
A song that once his mother sung.
We part; the sea will roll between,
While we through different climates roam;
Sad days, a life may intervene;
But we shall meet again,—at home.
While we through different climates roam;
Sad days, a life may intervene;
But we shall meet again,—at home.
| The American common-place book of poetry | |