 | Three Hundred Sonnets |  |
284
ON A BIRTH.
At length,—a dreary length of many years,God's favour hath shone forth! and blest thee well,
O handmaid of the Lord, for all thy tears,
For all thy prayers, and hope, and faith, and fears,
With that best treasure of consummate joy
A childless wife alone can fully tell
How sorely long withheld—her first-born boy:
This blessing is from heav'n; to heav'n once more,
Another Hannah with her Samuel,
Render thou back the talent yielding ten,
A spirit, train'd right early to adore,
A heart, to yearn upon its fellow-men,
A being, meant and made for endless heaven,
This give to God: this, God to thee hath given.
| Three Hundred Sonnets | |