 | [I stood before his silent grave, in] Eulogy on John Albion Andrew |  |
35
[I stood before his silent grave]
I stood before his silent grave,
And heard a record long and low,
How he was merciful and brave,
How his swift help sped to and fro.
And heard a record long and low,
How he was merciful and brave,
How his swift help sped to and fro.
Great deeds of heart were told of him,
And musings whispered at the fire,
Whose burden stirred in thought and limb
The energies of high desire.
And musings whispered at the fire,
Whose burden stirred in thought and limb
The energies of high desire.
The honors of the State were his,
The better crownings of esteem;
Faith yielded him her mysteries,
And Charity was not a dream.
The better crownings of esteem;
Faith yielded him her mysteries,
And Charity was not a dream.
And Hope her steadfast anchor threw
To match God's promise in the storm:
When billows roared and tempests blew,
He left us that consoling form.
To match God's promise in the storm:
When billows roared and tempests blew,
He left us that consoling form.
No snare was in his ringing speech,
Nor malice in his sunny smile;
No passion, hidden out of reach,
Drugged his poor manhood with its guile.
Nor malice in his sunny smile;
No passion, hidden out of reach,
Drugged his poor manhood with its guile.
A champion in our hour of need,
A prophet armed with forethought wise,
He flung our banner on the lead,
He gave our watchword to the skies.
A prophet armed with forethought wise,
He flung our banner on the lead,
He gave our watchword to the skies.
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Poorly our blended efforts try
To set his image in his room;
We lift the Poet's laurel high
To lay it on the Patriot's tomb.
To set his image in his room;
We lift the Poet's laurel high
To lay it on the Patriot's tomb.
And this I said when, laid in earth,
His funeral song was asked of me:
“The world has few to match his worth,
And none to praise it perfectly.”
His funeral song was asked of me:
“The world has few to match his worth,
And none to praise it perfectly.”
| [I stood before his silent grave, in] Eulogy on John Albion Andrew | |