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SONOS OF THE SOUL 
 
 ETTA WALLACE MILLER 
 
 i tune my lyre with Joy, and sing to you, 
 And leave my heart-songs in your tender care. 
 
 No offering worldly-rich 1 bring to you. 
 Only these flowers of my love and prayer. 
 
 '-<* 
 
 I 
 
 Atlanta, Ga. 
 Byrd Printing Co, 
 
 1900. 
 
14819 
 
 Library of Congress 
 
 Tv>f> Copies Recei>"^d 
 JUL 5 1900 
 
 No. 
 
 FIRST COPY. 
 
 2iid Copy Oelivcred to 
 
 ORDER DIVISION 
 
 Copyrighted, 1900. 
 By Etta Wallace Miller. 
 

 
i&^ %tMci^ 9?tMc^ 
 
TO 
 MY FATHER 
 
 AND 
 
 THE SPIRIT PRESENCE 
 
 OF 
 
 MY MOTHER. 
 
i^A-i^O^ ^^c^ImL^ z£ccvi f^iU fa^ ^'/coi^ ^^<ST>ts vi-ooutzXC 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL 
 
 TO MY FATHER 
 
 I know 'tis not because their power is grreat, 
 
 That jou do love them so — these songs of mine — 
 For to my lot falls not the wondrous fate 
 
 To thrill the world with melod}- divine. 
 Nor will m}' sing-ing- ever be so sweet, 
 
 That eagerly the multitude shall heed ! 
 It is enough to know — one Heart will greet 
 
 With love, these faltering notes, that sorely need 
 A finer touch than mine to give them grace 
 
 And strike those chords of sympathy, that show 
 The singer's worthiness of Honor's place ! 
 
 But sweet is praise, though undeserv'd ; and so, 
 When Youth is o'er, and Fancy's dreams depart. 
 
 Your violets shall richen 'neath the snow, 
 And breathe eternal summer in my heart ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO MY MOTHER 
 
 When I am all alone, and fearfully 
 Look down upon the thorns that strew the way, 
 And sob aloud, but dare not hope or pray ; 
 
 'Tis then you come to me. 
 'Tis then you come to me from far-off spheres, 
 And touch my lowered head with hands that bless ; 
 And all my soul is stirred by your caress. 
 
 And God's own Spirit nears. 
 
 When I am strug-gling- so to rise up free, 
 And break the pitiless, heart-bruising- bars 
 That stand between my soul and God's g-reat stars, 
 
 'Tis then you come to me. 
 'Tis then you come and g^ently soothe the pain, 
 'Tis then you bind the wounds with healing- balm. 
 And for your sake, the 'prisoned heart g-rows calm, 
 
 And strugg-les on ag-ain. 
 
 When those I loved prove false, and trait'rously 
 Strike with strong- weapons, g-ained by their false art, 
 Strike with their coward hands at my bared heart, 
 
 'Tis then you come to me. 
 'Tis then you come to me from God's hig-h throne. 
 And kneel in all your radiance at my side. 
 O ! Mother Soul, whatever ills betide. 
 
 You seek and shield your own ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 A LITTLE WREATH 
 
 TO MY FRIENDS 
 
 Here is a little wreath ! Will jou not lift 
 
 Its flowers where 3^our smiles may make them 
 brig-ht ? 
 It is a poor, but still a loving- g^ift, 
 
 For from my heart I've culled the blossoms white ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 THE PRAYER OF MY HEART 
 
 I ask not, Father, power to g-ive 
 
 Problems to puzzle human minds, 
 Or make men deem me g-reat and strong- ; . 
 
 I only pray some deed of mine — 
 A look, a word, perchance a song-, 
 
 May, g-uided by Thy will divine. 
 Help draw aside Thy wondrous blinds, 
 
 And prove to those who know the nig-ht, 
 That God is Love, and Love is Light, 
 
 And just how sweet it is to live ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 THY NAME 
 
 It holds the melody of all the world, 
 
 It paints the peerless tints we see in dreams : 
 And, sing-ing- it, the very heaven seems 
 
 To nearer come with holy stars unfurled : 
 
 And in its music sweet there is impearled 
 The silver sunlig-ht in its tenderest beams, — 
 And, whispering- it, the rippling woodland streams 
 
 Soft echoes catch, that to the seas are whirled. 
 
 Oh, tender and beloved melody, 
 
 That thrillest in the lily's heart of gold. 
 And breathest from the roses' lips of flame ! 
 
 My soul can never sing- enough of thee : — 
 
 Thou boldest all the heaven's heart unrolled — 
 O holy, and beloved, tender name ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 THE POET 
 
 As the sun shines out in the heavens, 
 He catches the light that it bring-s ; 
 
 And, 'pris'ning- its beautiful g'lory, 
 He echoes the song- that it sings. 
 
 When out of the darkness, the morning- 
 In beauty and melody breaks — 
 
 He lists to the holy communion 
 
 'Tween God and the lig-ht-bosomed lakes. 
 
 Then sweet to the wide world, he sing-s it ; 
 
 And sorrow kneels low to the sod. 
 For part of Joy's self is the Poet, 
 
 And sing-eth the message of God ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 FOREORDAINED 
 
 We met not, first time, standing- face to face, 
 For e'en the sounding- of thy voice to me. 
 Came, a well-known and worshipped melody. 
 
 And in thy features fair, my heart could trace 
 
 The same sweet beauty and the tender grace. 
 
 That I had known and loved ere broug-ht to thee. 
 Oh, Love, look up, and know the mystery ; 
 
 Oh, Love, kneel down and take thy rightful place 1 
 
 Dost thou not know me, O ! my Love, my Sweet ? 
 
 Yea, I can see it in thy lifted eyes, 
 
 And I can feel it in thy kiss divine. 
 Thou art my own by thy heart's every beat, 
 
 For when God fashioned us He wove the ties 
 
 That should forever bind thy heart to mine ! 
 
14 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 A FRAGMENT 
 
 So man}' little thing-s to do and say, 
 
 To make life sweet to live ; 
 The rose to offer from a deathless May, 
 
 The tender word to g-ive ! 
 Such very little things ! And yet we know 
 
 Life would not be complete 
 Without these blossoms brig-ht amid its woe, 
 
 To make the darkness sweet ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TWILIGHT REVERIE 
 
 Thoug"!! the nig-ht's dim shadows falling- 
 Have blurred the light, 
 
 To you, dear, my heart is calling- — 
 Callinof to-niofht. 
 
 o 
 
 Thoug-h no more the sunlight g-listens 
 
 In sky of blue, 
 In the shadows one still listens, 
 
 Long-ing- for you. 
 
 And memory — artist of truth — 
 Paints one dear face — 
 
 A face that's fair and pure in youth- 
 Radiant in g-race. 
 
 Surely death cannot enthrall you, 
 
 Making- you dumb 
 To my voice, dear, when I call you — 
 
 Call you to come ? 
 
i6 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Mother — mother ! Dost not hear me ? 
 
 Do those cold skies 
 Keep the spirit that would near me ? 
 
 Oh, are jour eyes 
 
 To earth's sorrows and pities blind ? 
 
 Have you no word, 
 No token, dear, that human mind 
 
 May know j^ou've heard ? 
 
 Only silence. Breaths from meadows 
 Lone have found me. 
 Mystic silence — and the shadows 
 Close around me. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 17 
 
 THE GHOST 
 
 "I thoug-ht you were dead — g-o back to 3^our grave ; 
 , Your mass has been said. Do you understand ? 
 
 Ah, you would touch me ? Let g-o of my hand. 
 I buried you there in that seal-up cave 
 Of my own despair, and I've turned to brave 
 
 The world — not a ghost. Go back to the land 
 
 Where your life was lost when I struck the wand 
 Of death above you ! Why stand there and wavcL 
 That hand ? Its fing-ers are raw to the bone ! 
 
 I do not love you, you are cold and dead. 
 Go back to your g-rave, and leave me alone ! 
 
 Christ ! how it lingers ! Go back ! I am wed — 
 Why should you haunt me ? I have suffered so. 
 Go back to your g-rave — go back to it — g-o ! 
 
 "You are here — here still, you Ghost of the Past? 
 I know I killed you — closely I bound you — 
 You could not escape ; ropes were around you I 
 
 I saw the purple that the strangling- cast 
 
i8 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 On your brow and breast — and at last — at last, 
 The quivering- ended. What demon found 3'ou 
 And breathed 3'our life back? What g-host hands 
 crowned j'ou 
 
 With withered wreath ? O, you hold too fast ! 
 
 You hurt me — scorch me ! I thoug^ht 3'ou were cold ! 
 Put back in its sheath that sword of 3^our wrong- ; 
 
 Pitj' me — leave me ! Oh, take all the g-old 
 I g-ave my peace for ! I've repented long- ! 
 
 Mercy — believe me ! You speak ? Give me breath ! 
 
 You are not the Love that I killed — but Death '/' 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 19 
 
 THOSE OTHER DAYS 
 
 There are other faces, fresh and fair, 
 In the dear old home, that do not care 
 For the mem'ries that are ling-'ring- there, 
 
 Of other days ! 
 And they do not hear in echoes, there, 
 The sig-hs that sweep thro' the twilight air, 
 And thrill and throb with a heart's despair 
 
 For other days ! 
 
 Yea, alien faces, fresh and fair. 
 
 Your red lips smile in the sunlig-ht rare, 
 
 But another heart is hovering- there 
 
 From other days. 
 And that other heart holds fuller share 
 Of joy supreme, for in dreams, I wear 
 The flowers he kissed and pinned in my hair 
 
 In other days. 
 
 They are faded now, but sweet and fair, 
 And the later blooms cannot compare 
 With HIS, and their mem'ries rich and rare 
 
 Of other days. 
 When dust is o'er my life's despair, 
 I shall dream of him in the cavern bare. 
 And the gfrave shall keep, in its tender care. 
 
 Those other days ! 
 
:o SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO MY BABY FRIEND, LILA DELL FROST. 
 
 Let me sing- jou a song- of the morning-, Sweet, 
 Let me tell you a story of daisy and dew ; 
 
 The daisies that dimple the clod at your feet, 
 And the beautiful dew-drops that smile to the blue. 
 
 There's a heart in the daisy, tender and brig-ht, 
 And it whispers the wonders of sea and of air ; 
 
 And the dew is as brig-ht as your eyes of lig-ht. 
 And it holds all the colors the fairy-folk wear. 
 
 And the shimmering- g-rass that carpets the sod. 
 Is the richest of velvet that ever was made. 
 
 It is fresh with the frag-rant presence of God, 
 And brig-ht with a beauty that never will fade. 
 
 And even the leaflets that banner the trees. 
 Are brothers and sisters, so joyous and free ; 
 
 And they winnow sweet kisses soft to the breeze. 
 As it ruffles and reddens a rose on the lea. 
 
 And "Lila, we love you," the ^lory-buds sing-, 
 "As sweet and as fair as the dawn of the day,"' 
 
 And "Lila, we keep you," the chorus shall ring-, 
 From ang-els in heaven, till they bear you away. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 CHRISTIAN UNION BATTLE HYMN. 
 
 GEORGIA Y. P. C. U. SONG, 1899, 
 
 Air: Battle Hymn of the Republic. 
 
 We are marching", onward marching-, trampling- 
 down the weeds of wrong- ; 
 
 We are marching- to the music of a hallelujah song- ; 
 
 Lifting hearts to hope and heaven — waft the wel- 
 come news along. 
 
 His Christian Union throng-. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 Marching-, marching-, tell the story ! 
 
 Marching-, marching-, tell the story ! 
 
 Marching- on for Christ, His g-lory ! 
 His Christian Union throng-. 
 
 We are mustered firm and faithful, soldiers brave 
 
 in battle line ; 
 The Saviour is our captain, and He leads by love 
 
 divine ; 
 
22 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 'Tis " Peace " on our banners, and " Love " is the 
 countersig-n ; 
 
 His C'hristian Union throng-. 
 Chorus. 
 
 O ! swing- wide the door of Duty ! Ring-, oh bells, 
 from sea to sea. 
 
 All the wondrous love and beauty of the Truth 
 which makes us Free ! 
 
 Sing- it ! Ring- it ! Wild winds wing- it ! till the an- 
 swering- world shall be. 
 
 His Christian Union throng-. 
 Chorus. 
 
 Onward, onward, faltering- never ! g-iving- hope for 
 earth's despair ; 
 
 Hateful wrong- from rig-ht to sever, by the living- 
 streng-th of praj'r. 
 
 With the colors of our Captain to the King-'s domin- 
 ions fair ; 
 
 His Christian Union throng*. 
 Chorus. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 LOVERS WAY 
 
 I plarmed so many thing-s to say and do 
 
 When you should come. 
 Thoug-ht took unfettered wing-s and g"aily flew 
 Throug-li fairy^ labyrinths, so sweet and new, 
 I said to my g-lad heart, " Til keep this dew 
 Fresh on the rose's lips ; the sunset hue 
 That tinges this dream sky, I'll treasure too. 
 
 Till he shall come." 
 
 But when 3^ou came and stood before me here, 
 
 My lips were dumb. 
 Thought quivered at your feet; I could not steer 
 It upwards, and my heart could only hear 
 The beating of your heart. Time was so dear 
 When you, in all your tender love, stood near — 
 
 That I was dumb ! 
 
24 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO A GLASS OF WINE 
 
 How brig-lit you are ! T see in your deep hues 
 The sunset's richest colors ; and your red 
 
 Is sparkling- like the pure and g-listening- dews, 
 That upward smile at soft skies overhead 
 
 And catch the clear and iridescent dies 
 That lie in sun-kissed splendor there at rest ! 
 
 Your breath the odor of the rose defies ; 
 And in fair homes you are an honored g-uest. 
 
 You smile on mk, and beckon me to drink ? 
 
 Ah, not to me your beauty is a snare ! 
 I know 3'OU lead to peril's hig-hest brink, 
 
 And dash men down and leave them dying- there. 
 I have a friend who, for your cursed sake. 
 
 Is dead to-nig-ht — is dead, and yet breathes on ; 
 You cannot count tVie human hearts you break; 
 
 Your crimson hand across the world is drawn ! 
 
 The friend I tell of is a woman, frail 
 
 And pure and beautiful — alive, yet dead ; 
 
 Alive to suffer, and to see life pale — 
 
 But dead to hope, for sake of one you fed 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 25 
 
 With your vile liquid's crimson, living- curse. 
 
 She may not stately lie in shrouded rest ; 
 She walks the streets and sees another's hearse ; 
 
 She moves and speaks with death upon her breast ! 
 
 Who see her face must read her sorrow there — 
 
 Her eyes are midnig-ht heavens bereft of stars, 
 Her dumb, pale lips are mute in wan despair. . . . 
 
 The soul is chain'd behind dark prison-bars, 
 With g-arlands of dead g-ladness twining- where 
 
 Once breathed so sweet the lilies, Love and Trust. 
 But all life's blossoms withered in your snare, 
 
 And blotted her Soul's lig-ht with their thick dust! 
 
 Some years ag-o this woman met and loved 
 
 A man to whom she promised her young- life. 
 The weeks sped by ; each hour to music moved. 
 
 Until there dawned the day when as his wife 
 The woman hoped to g-o his way thro' death. . . . 
 
 The g-uests assembled and the white-robed bride 
 Stept joyously to his beloved side — 
 
 But, lo, he came with wine upon his breath ! 
 
 His face was flushed, he looked with dazed eyes 
 Upon the pure and beautiful young face, 
 
26 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 That now was while as one who lifeless lies ; 
 
 But thrusting- back the blow of his disgrace, 
 She took his hand and owned him to the crowd, 
 
 And sheltered him with Love that could not dim. 
 And I looked on and saw her young- life's shroud 
 
 Made bv the hands that smoothed the wa}- for him. 
 
 Oh, man}' a time the loving- woman's brave, 
 
 True heart was wounded with the deadl}' pain 
 Of shame. . . . At last she knelt beside his g-rave 
 
 And kissed the stone that covered two hearts slain, 
 O, WINK, bj jou ! (Mj' God, there's man^^ a one 
 
 Who weeps to-nlg-ht for dead and shadowed trust ; 
 And broken hearts saj^ " Lord, Thj- will be done," 
 
 And kneel all bruised in the bitter dust !) 
 
 But vou smile still and sparkle in the lig-ht. 
 
 You tempt men on, and kill the great and chaste. 
 And, oh, the tears that make 3'our liquid brig-ht. 
 
 And, oh, the curse 3'ou g-ive to those who taste. 
 Yes ; you are brig-ht as sunset's crimson flood. 
 
 But 3'our defiant power I know too well ; 
 Your red is rich with drained, human blood. 
 
 And you are king- of Earth's most cursed hell ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 27 
 
 STANZAS 
 
 I ask not now, 
 That you shall promise me, 
 To faithful be unto eternity. 
 Nay ! If my calm, cold face be raised to you 
 Without the sight, why should you still be true ? 
 
 Death's marble brow 
 Could feel no jealous pain. 
 So, dearest, ere I long- had silent lain. 
 You should be free— if thus your heart did will. 
 I ask you not to love me only, still. 
 
 I know not how 
 The spirit wings its flight— 
 All that I feel is this : Grief's painful blight 
 Can have no power over the freed soul 
 When, passed through death, it shall have reached 
 the goal. 
 
 And living now, 
 I ask no pledge from you. 
 If you may give another love more true 
 Than now you offer me, just tell me so ; 
 And I— what matters else ?— I'd bid you go ! 
 
28 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO REV. J. U KING. 
 
 (On His Eightieth Birthday.) 
 
 Naug-ht is sweeter, 
 
 Naug-ht completer 
 In all the world of joj and strife ; 
 
 Naug-ht is purer, 
 
 Naught is surer 
 Than such as thine — a Christian life ; 
 
 Looking- to the One above thee, 
 Keeping the flag-s of Hope unfurled ; 
 
 Causing- all who know and love thee 
 To scorn the sinning- of the world. 
 
 On forever, 
 
 Falt'ring- never ; 
 On — marching o'er the hill of life — 
 
 Seeking- beauty, 
 
 Heeding- duty 
 And making- lig-ht another's strife ; 
 
 Love's firm soldier ; Truth's defender. 
 Thou hast travelled over the way — 
 
 Earnest, loving-, true and tender. 
 Teaching- our wayward hearts to pray. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 29 
 
 And now, at last, 
 
 The strug-g-ling past — 
 The summit reached — look back, for, lo, 
 
 The paths of g-loom 
 
 Are brig-ht with bloom ; 
 And all the thorns that wounded so, 
 And all the human, pitying- tears, 
 Have chang-ed to lilies, rare and sweet ; 
 
 Blossoms g-arnered from faithful jears^ 
 To pave the way for His dear feet. 
 
 The loving- shore 
 
 In paths before. 
 Shall dearer be for struggles won— 
 
 Then thou shalt rest 
 
 Upon His breast. 
 And He shall say, ''My child, well done." 
 
 For each sad grief by Him is given 
 To make us stronger ; each great loss 
 To make us worthier of the heaven 
 For bearers of the Saviour's cross. 
 
30 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 SONG OF THE INFINITE 
 
 Nay, do not touch me ; sit here by my side, 
 And let th}- Spirit's unrestrained tide 
 Seek mine. The infinite is deep and wide, 
 
 But in the human sea our souls are bruised 
 
 On rocks and railing-. Let our streng-th be used 
 To bear us upward, till there be infused 
 
 Into our being's holiest light and love. 
 
 Nay, be thou silent let thy Spirit move, 
 
 Thy lips are human ! Let us look above, 
 
 To truer long-ing-s. What am I to thee ? 
 
 What are mere faces ? I would hav^e thee see 
 My soul, and I would have thee think of me 
 
 As one who knows thy inmost heart-desires. 
 Looks in thy Soul to find its hidden lyres. 
 And strike resounding- chords, and living fires. 
 
 Unfettered as the air, I bid thee ride 
 
 Throug-h labyrinths of Truth, and interlace 
 Thy life with visions, that thy Soul may face 
 Souls that are kindred. Now, step back a pace, 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUI.. 31 
 
 And look : our blending- breath and vision shows 
 That our near Spirits' mystic music flows 
 Tog^ether, as air rills from rose to rose. 
 
 Behold the airy form of harmony ; 
 
 It sinks, it trembles, half as thoug-h 'twould flee ; 
 Now, soars in sweet and surg-ing- melody .... 
 
 And lo, the liv^ing- lig-hts of heaven embrace 
 
 The soul of song- .... Now look, look in Love's 
 face 
 
 Beloved, nearer still : is there a trace 
 
 Of aug-ht that's human, like a false stone set 
 In perfect workmanship ? Beloved, let 
 Thy heart know mine, and let thy Soul forg-et 
 
 And save my soul, that sing-s its way to thee- — 
 And blends its beauty and its mystery 
 
 With thy soul's music Look, and thou 
 
 cans't see 
 
 Love's own life-g-arden ; thou canst touch and hold 
 
 The Rose of heaven ; thou canst soft unfold 
 The lustrous petals, draw the drifts of g-old 
 
 About thee closely ; cling- to mist and find 
 
 Firm substance Come ! Lose time ! And 
 
 do not mind 
 The way we've wended ! See ! Our path is lined 
 
32 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 With rainbow radiance. Draw the dreams around, 
 Still, still more closely . . . Spirit voices sound, 
 And spirit visions are so softly wound 
 
 Around about us that the world is lost ! 
 
 Now look thou back at all the hills we've crossed, 
 Thedang-er-places, and the plains of frost ; 
 
 The darkness and the drifts and shifts of stain ; 
 The g-host-g-rim fancies and the floods of pain ! 
 
 Look at them .... lose them ! Lo, the Light has 
 slain 
 
 The darkness, with the flaming sword of Truth . . 
 
 Drink from this Fountain, 'tis the fount forsooth^ 
 That yields eternal Happiness and Youth . . . 
 
 Now, go ... I give thee to the world of men. 
 
 Till thy dear Love sing- sweet to Heaven ; when. 
 
 My soul, Beloved, shall claim thine again ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 33 
 
 THE MONARCH OF THE HEIGHTS 
 
 Dear love, the years have come and flown, 
 
 And some have yielded rich delights, 
 But sometimes memory sends a moan 
 
 To the g-lad heights. 
 The robes of wealth I won and wear 
 
 Are glittering- with glory fine. 
 But, oh, God's sunshine tinges there 
 An empty shrine. 
 
 Dear love, have you forgotten now ? 
 
 Or do you feel a scorning hate 
 For these false lips that touched your brow ? 
 
 Enthroned in state, 
 I yet am poor, and hungrily 
 
 Bend down for memory's each small crumb. 
 Oh, bitter-sweet they are to me, 
 So starved and numb. 
 
 Dear love — yet never more my own — 
 Would God that I had chosen wise. 
 
 What is a jeweled, joyless throne ? 
 Oh, for the skies 
 
 That were so rich and true and rare ! 
 Oh, for the old-time, glad delights ! — 
 
 God and His angels govern there — 
 Regret is monarch of the heights ! 
 
34 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 THE SMILE AND THE TEAR 
 
 " Smile, laug-h," you say ? 
 
 First, bring- to life the dead ! 
 But 3'et, ah,, stay : 
 
 Think you a faith that's fied^ 
 Is wholly dead ? 
 
 Or can it breathe again, 
 And live instead 
 
 Of sinking- in decay ?" 
 
 "Dead faith," you say? 
 
 Ah, but there is no death, 
 For patience may 
 
 Bring- back the fleeing- breath. 
 Earth may not slay 
 
 The life of which you speak. 
 Faith lives alway, 
 
 E'en in a heart so weak 
 It cannot pray. 
 
 Look about you : — 
 
 Have the skies ever failed 
 To show their blue. 
 
 When winter's clouds have paled 
 To lifeless hue ? 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 35 
 
 Does spring- not banish g-loom, 
 And each year true 
 
 Bring- back the lovel}^ bloom 
 That once 3^ou knew ? 
 
 " Dead faith," jou say ? 
 
 Is yonder rose less sweet 
 Than those last May ? 
 
 The daisies at your feet — 
 Are they to-day 
 
 Less white and g-old than when 
 In childhood, they 
 
 Smiled to you ? Does the wren 
 Sing- notes less true ? 
 
 Yes ! Say I, smile. 
 
 Is't not enough to know, 
 A little while 
 
 Will banish all the tears, 
 The pain, the woe ? 
 
 The sorrow and the strife ? 
 The chastening rod 
 
 Brings gladness to all life^ 
 And leads to God^ 
 
 And Love's eternal Years ! 
 
36 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 AN INCIDENT 
 
 On Reading an Article in a Newspaper,^ 
 
 Stag-g-eritig- throug-h the stormy weather, blindly 
 knowing- where to stop, 
 
 Came he through the busy city to a little ding-y shop; 
 
 Open flung the door, and entered, threw a tiny bun- 
 dle down. 
 
 Saying" with a shrug-g-ing- shoulder, saying with a 
 deepening frown : 
 
 "A dime for a drink." 
 
 And a broker tore the wrapper from a pair of baby 
 shoes. 
 
 Tiny bits of thing-s, worn little, boug-ht, it seemed, 
 to only use 
 
 For the cunning.little toddler during winter's smit- 
 ing blast. 
 
 Why then were they to be purchased, ere the blit- 
 ing storms were past ? 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 37 
 
 " Where did you get the trinkets, man ?" asked the 
 
 broker, half in scorn. 
 *' At home," he answered, reeling- back, *'and they 
 
 haven't been much worn. 
 Give the dime, I'm thirsty, thirsty ; and the shoes 
 
 are worth, I know. 
 That much money ! Take them ! hurry, g-ive it 
 
 here and let me g-o ! 
 
 A dime for a drink !" 
 
 "No! Return them to your baby. She will need 
 
 them, take them home," 
 Answered, then the stern-faced broker, greed of 
 
 gaining overcome 
 With the thought of his own children .... But 
 
 the man, half roughl}^, said, 
 "Give the money to me, brother, she won't need 
 
 them, for she's dead." 
 
38 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 BIEFRAIN 
 
 Dost thou remember or dost thou forg-et ? 
 Are thy lips smiling-, thine eyes are they wet ? 
 Love, 'tis December — but o'er the dark blig-ht 
 Are memories of Maytime, and lost delig-ht. 
 But dost thou remember, where'er thou art — 
 O Soul of my Soul and Heart of my Heart ? 
 
 Dost thou remember, or dost thou forg-et ? 
 
 The roses you g-ave — I treasure them yet. 
 
 And the sweetness thrills from their leaves of flame, 
 
 Till the light floods bright, as the dear dream came, 
 
 But hast thou forg-otten ? Yea — dreams depart, 
 
 O Soul of mv Soul and Heart of my Heart ! 
 
 Dost thou remember, or dost thou forget ? 
 The Present 'prisons thee close in her net. 
 Strug-g-le ; escape from her, tear her white breast; 
 Leave the new love to die — past love is best. 
 Hark ! 'tis an echo comes : " Nay — dreams depart, 
 O Soul of my Soul and Heart of my Heart !" 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 39 
 
 TO L'ELLA RUBY GRIFFITH 
 
 (On the Sixteenth Anniversary of Her Birthday.) 
 
 Easter morning, pure and sunnj^ — the resurrection 
 morn : 
 
 Faith's fair dewdrops on Life's lilies, — Hope's ten- 
 der blooms new-born ; 
 
 Freshness in the heart of spring-time ; the trill and 
 thrill of song- 
 
 Ring-ing- softly, g-ladlj, clearl}^, in the music sweet 
 and strong- ! 
 
 Waken, L'Ella — Life would g-reet you with cloud- 
 less skies of blue, 
 
 Spring- would waft her dewy kisses to lips and eyes 
 of you. 
 
 Sixteen— Easter's fairest lily — brig-ht in the lig-ht 
 
 of trust ; 
 By white petals, folding- heartward, safe-shielded 
 
 from the dust. 
 
40 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 One rare petal, dear, is Duty— unsullied, strong- and 
 
 true ; 
 One is Faith, its spirit beauty in all you say and do ; 
 One is Innocence; another, Unselfishness — and 
 
 Prayer, 
 Fadeless, lustrous in purity, gleams like a jewel 
 
 there ! 
 
 Sixteen to-day, — g^ladly facing- a world of joy and 
 
 strife^ 
 Passing- throug-h the ^ate of childhood into a fuller 
 
 life— 
 A life that needs must know the pain of helpless 
 
 g-rief and loss. 
 Yet which may strong-er, purer g"row, the heavier 
 
 be the cross. 
 Dear, g-o Love's wa}^ ; be brave, be true — g-iving* the 
 
 rig-ht for wrong- — 
 The world is full of tears and sig-hs ; it needs your 
 
 voice in song-. 
 
 Guide your steps in paths of duty — too much of sin 
 
 is here ; 
 Trust in God — lead others to Him — speak only 
 
 words of cheer ; 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 41 
 
 Seek life's sweetness and its beauty — and ever stoop 
 
 to save — 
 For 'tis but a little space from life unto the g-rave ; 
 And life is often sad and cold — for trusted friends 
 
 betray ; 
 Youth passes by — the fair dreams die — and blooms 
 
 of love decay. 
 
 But, when in sorrow kneeling- low, the hearts that 
 
 humbly pray, 
 Ever cherish human kindness, that helped to light 
 
 the way. 
 Thoughtful deeds, unselfish, tender, — words from a 
 
 loving- heart, — 
 These are more than all earth's splendor, — more 
 
 than the g-reatest art. 
 God be with you, dear, and guide you, until your 
 
 deeds of g-ood 
 Shall make your life the sweetest bloom of lovely 
 
 Womanhood ! 
 
42 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 RIPPLE AND CALM 
 
 Let me sing- you a song- of the twilig-ht, tender and 
 sweet ; 
 Let me .tell you a story of evening-, to musical 
 bars : — 
 Like aroma that steals from a flower and floats to 
 the street, 
 The fragrance of heaven is wafted to earth by 
 the stars. 
 
 And the moon, like a lily white blossom at rest in 
 the sky. 
 In keeping- her watch over heaven, sing-s sweet 
 to the clouds ; 
 And softly the shadow-forms, flitting- in mystery by, 
 Are covering- the meadows of heaven with sil- 
 very shrouds. 
 
 And sleep is the queen that is reig-ning supreme o'er 
 the earth. 
 With Peace the fair sceptre she's wielding in 
 drowsiest grace .... 
 But deep in the heart of the woodland the stream's 
 subtle mirth 
 Is sending a ripple of laughter the calm to displace. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUIv. 43 
 
 And all the great heart of the ocean is throbbing- 
 and deep, 
 The waves they are dashing- and crashing- with 
 rush and with roar ; 
 And down in the Soul of the waters, the wild thing's 
 creep, — 
 And the mermaid kisses the seaweed that cling-s 
 to the shore. 
 
 And God, the Great Ruler of heaven, watches the 
 calm. 
 And g-overns the g-littering- waters in river and sea; 
 While requiems sweet from the Ang-els — psalm 
 within psalm — 
 Are filling- the earth and the heavens with mel- 
 ody free. 
 
 And heaven's the nig-hting-ale's forest, where frail 
 wing-s beat 
 And bruise their beauty no long-er on merciless 
 bars .... 
 And this is my song- of the twilig-ht, tender and 
 sweet, — 
 And this is my story of evening-, and splendor of 
 stars ! 
 
44 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO A VIOLINIST. 
 
 As he plays — 
 The chords, long- dumb within the heart, 
 Awake and thrill, from self apart I 
 Beneath the mag"ic touch of Art, 
 The Spirits of the Mystic roll 
 Before the ejes a pictured scroll 
 Of scenes divine ! — The olden days — 
 They live again, their lighted ways 
 Strewn o'er with blossoms of delight ; 
 The rose of Love, the lily white 
 Of purity, the Myrtle flower — 
 Symbols of beauty and of power — 
 The richest of their charms impart 
 That drift in music thro' the heart — 
 
 As he plays. 
 
 As he plays — 
 The thrilling melodies that throng. 
 Flood holy light above the wrong — 
 And Hope is fair— and Faith is strong. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUIv. 45 
 
 And — lo, as thoug-h the Sylphioti's breath 
 
 Were wafted in the face of death, 
 
 A new-born life alig-hts the brow ; 
 
 For, of the Sjlphion, song- tells how 
 
 'Tis more than worth its weig-ht in g-old — 
 
 In mag-ic spell that yields the old 
 
 The wine of youth So, thrills of life 
 
 Ivong- silent 'neath the g-athering- strife, 
 Arise as in the olden days — 
 And live in memory — as he plays. 
 
46 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 AT THE WILL OF THE WAVES 
 
 If the same grave held our hearts, dear Love — 
 Thej would thrill and throb in their dark retreat, 
 
 And their dreams would blend in a song-, dear Love, 
 That would bloom in the dark and make it sweet ! 
 
 If heaven should hold us both, dear Love — 
 We never would hear what the Ang-els sing-, — 
 
 For my soul should cling- to your own, dear Love — 
 As the color cleaves to a rose of spring- ! 
 
 But the world is worse than death, dear love — 
 With its wide, mad seas that are stretched be- 
 tween ; 
 
 And your life but touched my own, dear Love — 
 As the sky is swept by the rainbow's sheen. 
 
 Oh, the tide must ride with moan and roar, — 
 And the winds must weep o'er land and sea . . . 
 
 But e'en as the same waves sweep the shore — 
 My Soul shall return to the Soul of thee ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 47 
 
 MY VALENTINE 
 
 You g^ave me a rose, so rich and rare, 
 That the twilig-ht's heart seemed not so fair 
 As the"colors brig-ht that nestled there 
 
 Like the ruby wine. 
 So I kissed the petals rich and red — 
 And bending- close to its heart, I said : 
 I'll keep you safe till your soul is dead — 
 
 As my Valentine. 
 
 And the red rose smiled in crimson pride. 
 As thoug-h the life in its leaves defied 
 The sickle of death or Time's rough tide 
 
 To ashed its red. 
 But the days passed by, and soon there fell 
 O'er my rose the same mysterious spell. 
 That rose nor the human heart may quell — 
 
 And m}' rose lay dead. 
 
 I lifted the leaves and sighed and said : 
 
 " You were rich and rare, but you are dead. 
 
 You are like the love that women dread. 
 
 With your breath of wine. 
 So back again to the earth that gave ! 
 And this I learn from your early g-rave : 
 Not the rose — but immortelles — to save 
 
 For my Valentine." 
 
48 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 A BRIDE OF DEATH 
 
 Basest crime her soul mars ! 
 
 And yet, my God^ the radiant stars, 
 
 When compared with her eyes. 
 
 Are dim and cold. And yon fair skies 
 
 So g-loriously blue — 
 
 They cannot match the tender hue 
 
 In the depths of those eyes ! 
 
 I must have no pity — 
 
 I must a stern avenger be. 
 
 List, I hear her step. Yes, 
 
 She's coming- now — her bridal dress 
 
 Not more white than her brow. 
 
 Ah, her lips smile. With playful bow, 
 
 She bends her g-olden head ; 
 
 But I who've seen her soul and read 
 
 The cursed secret there, 
 
 Must find that face no long-er fair — 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 49 
 
 That voice no long-er dear. 
 
 I swear to pit}^ not her tear ! 
 
 She speaks. 1 do not stir ; 
 
 But with mj stern ejes piercing- her — 
 
 Trembling-, she lets a book 
 
 Slip from her hands. And 'neath mj look, 
 
 The face I used to love 
 
 Grows white and drawn. And now above 
 
 Her hair she clasps her hands, 
 
 And lig-htlj fall the shining- strands 
 
 Caressing-lj around 
 
 The child-like face. Still not a sound 
 
 Ripples o'er nig-ht's calm breast — 
 
 And all the world seems bathed in rest. 
 
 But buried in my heart, 
 
 A dag-g-er lies. Behold her start 
 
 In terror, as she sees 
 
 I know at last. Now, on her kneevS 
 
 She crouches — tempting- me 
 
 With trembling lips, and eyes that see 
 
 The madness of my hate. 
 
 She pleads in vain. It is too late ! 
 
50 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Around her slender throat 
 
 My fing-ers close. Laug-hing-, I g-loat 
 
 Over the purpling face — 
 
 Whose seeming" pure and subtle g'race, 
 
 Lies all crushed — held so fast 
 
 Within my hands. Dead — dead — at — last ! 
 
 But for her life, I sell 
 
 My Soul — that's dragg-ed with hers^ to hell ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 51 
 
 TRUE ART 
 
 She, all will own, is great, — 
 
 Who, bj long-studied art, 
 Has gained the power to grief or joj impart, 
 At will, in human hearts, — or love, or hate. 
 
 But she, indeed, is great, — 
 
 Who, with a bleeding heart, 
 May smile or jest, and play the joyous part 
 Of happiness, in mocking face of Pate. 
 
52 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 DEAR, IF YOU KNEW 
 
 Oh, if jou knew how jealously I keep 
 Each thoug-ht of you ; 
 
 Beloved, would you bend your head and weep 
 For the poor miser-heart, with its rich few 
 Of treasured blossoms, robbed of living" dew ? 
 
 Here is the day we met — the words you said : 
 
 Here is the hour 
 Love came and touched my brow, and g"aily led 
 
 My footsteps throug-h his fair and starry bower ; 
 
 And here is Hope, a withered, g-ray-lipped flower. 
 
 Poor records of a rich and vanished year — 
 
 Poor dreams of you. 
 I wonder if your heart would g-ive a bier 
 
 To these dead things ? Or would you look them 
 throug-h, 
 
 And thrust them rudely back, dear, if you knew ? 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 53 
 
 A DIFFERENCE 
 
 The skies are not so blue ; 
 
 The Autumn lands — robbed of the Summer's 
 vines — 
 Are robed around with somberer, sadder hue, — 
 
 And the winds moan throug-h shivering- oaks and 
 pines ; 
 The very golden-rod is poor, in lieu 
 
 Of being- rich and bright .... All life is seer : 
 And yet, I know, the skies would be as blue. 
 
 The g-olden-rod as gold, ii you were here ! 
 
 I wander in the fields ; 
 
 The river sings and sobs upon its ways ; 
 The grasses wave ; the cloudy heaven shields 
 
 The lingering wild-wood blooms from withering 
 rays. 
 But, oh, I cannot say I love these hours, 
 
 I cannot call the late, sweet blossoms dear. 
 And yet, I know, I'd kiss those self-same flowers, 
 
 And love and treasure them — ii yon were here ! 
 
54 SONGS OF THE SOUIy. 
 
 It is not that I miss 
 
 Last Autumn's brilliant ways and frolic winds, 
 Nor even loving- care ; it is not this. 
 
 ! Love, all this the searching- Spirit finds ; 
 But something- else is missing- : I recall 
 
 That other time, when Life's g-lad lips bent near 
 A Spring-'s sweet brink ! 
 
 Ah, God ! That brig-ht, dead Fall ! 
 In these pale days, its ghost is fluttering- here. 
 
 And I, too, am a Ghost. 
 
 1 come to taunt the years, with mocking- lips. 
 That only [moan] (their power of sing-ing- g"one), 
 
 With wide, calm eyes, whose sig-ht is in eclipse. 
 Spring-, summer, winter fall — no lig-ht comes here ; 
 
 The waters of my Spring- are all withdrawn ; 
 Death toomed in Life — denied the dead one's bier, — 
 
 A homeless Ghost of self, I wander on ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 55 
 
 THE BROKEN GOBLET 
 
 " O, Woman, with the wrinkled brow 
 
 And blig-hted face, — 
 Whence do you come ? And why and how 
 
 To this brig"ht place ?" 
 
 The croaking- voice responded low, 
 
 And faint and weak : 
 " O, Maiden, I would have you know 
 
 How Time will wreak 
 His veng-eance on jour g-old-rich head, 
 
 And bend it down — 
 When youthful years and dreams are sped, 
 
 And hopes are brown." 
 
 "O, Woman, of your Youth bereft 
 
 Eternally,— 
 /am not g-uilty of the theft, — 
 
 Why come to me?^'' 
 
 The croaking- voice responded slow. 
 
 In accents weak : 
 "Behold in me, whom men shall know" — 
 
56 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Her faded cheek 
 One instant thrilled with memory -glow, — 
 
 "Behold in me, 
 Yourself — when Youth and Dreams are snow. 
 
 Kternallj." 
 
 # # # * * * 
 
 The maiden from the vision sped, 
 
 And sang- and laughed ; 
 In mockerj' tossed her golden head. 
 
 And stooped and quaffed 
 Life's bright Elixir of Delight. 
 
 The glass was Youth : 
 It shattered . . . . Lo ! again the white. 
 
 Wan face of Truth ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 57 
 
 THOU ART MY DREAM 
 
 Thou art my dream and I would sleep forever 
 To feel the thralldom of thy presence near. 
 
 I reach my hand ! The fettering- cords dissever, 
 And thou art with me in the stillness here. 
 
 Thou art my dream — Love lifts a g-olden chalice ; 
 
 And joyous draug-hts of liquids sweet I drain ; 
 I wander with thee in a jeweled palace, 
 
 And feel the g"lory of thy love ag-ain. 
 
 Thou art my dream ! — Beloved, I am kneeling- 
 Among the rose-leaves on the Summer's bier ; 
 
 And echoes, from the vaults of Memory stealing*, 
 Are calling- to thee — and thou art not here. 
 
 * * * >!<#=# 
 
 Thou art my dream — Life lifts a broken chalice, 
 With bitter dreg-s my parched lips must drain. 
 
 I seek the doors of our enchanted palace ; 
 But THEY were dreams, and open not ag-ain. 
 
58 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Thou art mj dream, — and I shall seek thee ever ; 
 
 And, kneeling-, call thee to me in a song-. 
 Thou art mj dream. Beloved, and I never 
 
 Will falter, weeping, in the way of wrong. 
 
 Thou g-ivest me a sig-ht of heaven above me, 
 And guidest me to Life's enchanted stream ! 
 
 With all mj soul, I love thee, oh ! I love thee ! 
 And glory that thou art my dream — my dream ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 59 
 
 A GOOD-NIGHT SONG 
 
 (To Mother.) 
 
 Awake, I feel thee near, — and in mj- dreams 
 Thy presence ling-ers, till the silence seems 
 
 Athrill with melody. 
 Good-nig-ht, — forg-ive me if my deeds have pained 
 The tender heart of thee. 
 
 O ! heart, bound, chained ; 
 
 Oh, e3^es that do not see ; 
 
 ! Soul that cannot rise, — what mystery 
 
 In thralldom holds the Spirit that should be 
 
 As fairy-like and free 
 As dreaming- and as sweet as melody ? 
 
 The stars are shining ! Thou in heaven, good-night! 
 
 1 will be stronger and more brave and brig-ht . . . 
 
 If this were joy to thee, 
 'Twere joy to me ; for thy sweet will is mine ; 
 My every thought — my every dream — is thine ! 
 
6o SONGS OF THE SOUIv. 
 
 Thou art the living- tree, — 
 I, but a frail vine closely cling-ing- there 
 All bruised and broken, — asking- but to share 
 
 Whate'er of mystery 
 Shall fall to thee, — and g-ladder still to yield 
 My Soul to thee — th}- purity my shield. 
 
 Good-nig-ht — and ever love that lessens not, 
 Thoug-h stars shall vanish and the darkness blot 
 
 The sky's blue mystery ! 
 Good-nig-ht, and never one swift sob of pain. 
 O ! Mother mine, g-ood-night ! And once ag-ain 
 
 The same Soul-prayer from me ! 
 Good-nig-ht — Good-night ! There is so much to say ; 
 But lo, the evening dews do w^eep the day ! 
 
 Yet ever tenderly 
 My soul is sing-ing- — swept in dreams to thee I 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 6i 
 
 THE CROSS OF JOY 
 
 I would take up thy cross, dear one, for thee ; 
 
 And to the very dust I would kneel down, 
 And joy to even die on Calvary — 
 
 If thou, O Love, if thou couldst have the crown. 
 
 Dear, I should smile thro' all the tempest's rag-e, 
 Smile even as the storm's g-reat fury came, — 
 
 If but for thee God's mercy would assuage 
 The g-rief that tortured me in lava flame. 
 
 If but for thee, Beloved, life be sweet. 
 
 And all the shadows and the storms depart, — 
 
 I am content to quiver at thy feet. 
 
 And strain to hear the beating- of thy heart. 
 
 If but on thee, my dear one, God will smile, — 
 I shall kneel down and lift the rocks away — 
 
 Lest thy dear feet should stumble into g^uile, 
 Or g-ather from the stones their dark decay. 
 
62 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Dear, I shall count it joy thy cross to bear, 
 
 And drink the bitterest draughts of human woe — 
 
 If but thy life may radiant be, and fair. 
 
 And God will lead thee where His roses grow. 
 
 Go forth. Beloved, — Love has forced the bars ; 
 
 I take thy place within the narrow cell. 
 Mine be the midnight's darkness, thine its stars ! 
 
 Weep not! Love's cross v^ joyous! — Fare thee well! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 63 
 
 LONGING 
 
 Ob, I cannot see with my sig'htless eyes, 
 
 The way that my feet should go ! 
 'Neath the lowering- skies where the thunder cries, 
 
 They wander and falter so ! 
 And I cannot find with my human mind, 
 
 The Truth that never will fail ; 
 For doubt is a tempest so undefined, 
 
 And sin such a sweeping* g-ale ! 
 
 Oh, God, — for the faith that is streng-th in strife, — 
 
 Oh, for the Bethlehem Star ! 
 Oh, God, — for the g-race of a purer life 
 
 To come where the sin stains are ! 
 And this is the cry of my soul to-night. 
 
 The cry of my fainting Soul : 
 Oh, Christ, for the sight of a holy Light — 
 
 While 'round me the death-waves roll ! 
 
64 SONGS OF THE SOUIv. 
 
 Oh, God, — oh, my God, — that a heavier rod 
 
 May chasten the stains away, — 
 That the thorns so thick where my feet have trod, 
 
 Shall strew not the Future's way. 
 For I cannot see with these sightless eyes, 
 
 The path where my heart should go, — 
 'Neath the lowering skies where the thunder cries — 
 
 It wanders and falters so ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 65 
 
 YOU WERE IN MY HEART 
 
 You were in my heart, like the g-lowing- gold 
 
 In the heart of a lily, frail and fair. 
 And you loved me so, that I felt no cold, — 
 
 And mv heart was rich for your presence there ! 
 
 You were in my heart, — and the lily breathed 
 Her holiest breaths to the tender air ; 
 
 And her petals white o'er the gold heart wreathed, 
 Like sentinel Ang-els lost in pra3^er ! 
 
 You were in mj heart, like a g-olden sun, — 
 
 And a holy light on the lily lay ; 
 And your life and mine were as closely spun, 
 
 As the light and warmth of a summer day ! 
 
 You were in my heart — but the poor thing lies 
 Like a lily swept by a scorching ray, — 
 
 For it died, it died, — as a lily dies, — 
 
 When I tore you out of my heart that day l 
 
66 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 You were in mj heart ! — ^Oh, jou'U never know 
 How it bleeds and fades 'neath its petals fair ; 
 
 And you'll never know how it withers slow, 
 And repines and dies, in its wan despair ! 
 
 You were in my heart !— The false and the true 
 Were tog-ether blended, breath in breath ! — 
 
 But I plucked jou out when the truth I knew. 
 And in place of Love, was the cold of Death ! 
 
 Oh, the lily stands with her lifted head. 
 
 And the heavens send it the sun and dew, — 
 
 And it still is fair ! — Do you know 'tis dead? 
 That its g-old heart died with the loss oi you ? 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 67 
 
 A SONG 
 
 A new year, 
 
 With new fear 
 Of what its arms may bring- 
 
 A new day, 
 
 A new way 
 To see and do each thing*. 
 
 A new hour, 
 
 With new power 
 To mould our lives in Love ; 
 
 A new dream, 
 
 A new g-leam 
 Of mercy from above ! 
 
68 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 HER CHOICE 
 
 Two lovers came to woo : One bore a crown 
 
 To which the whole world knelt, — a thin^ most 
 
 rare, — 
 Radiant in glowing- light from jewels fair, 
 That starred the g-leaming- gold like dewdrops 
 
 there ! 
 
 The other suitor knelt — and gently laid 
 A simple violet upon Love's breast ; 
 The flower sweetly breathed, — its timid heart 
 Thrilled of the smile of God — His Love — His 
 Rest ! 
 
 Dazzled at first, by wealth's rare, beauteous gift — 
 (The diamonds were bright all else above), 
 
 But wearied by the glare, she turned away, 
 To find Life's bloom upon the breast of Love I 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 69 
 
 FROM LIFE 
 
 I knew a woman, once, whose g-lorious face 
 Resembled in its brig'ht, sweet purity — 
 That of an ang"el. 'Twas so heavenly, 
 
 That I, unworthy, drew myself apace — 
 
 And deemed it honor to but touch the lace 
 Upon her breast. I loved her ! More to me 
 Was one brig'ht smile of hers, than what would be 
 
 Most prized by other hearts. I deemed it g-race 
 
 Prom God, Himself, that I, so little worth. 
 
 Could ling-er near and breathe the same pure air 
 That she was breathing- .... And the months 
 went by, — 
 
 And now .... But no, — I'll not profane ! God's 
 earth 
 
 Bears many a flower, as beauteous and as rare — 
 Within whose heart the deadly poisons lie ! 
 
70 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 THE OLD AND THE NEW 
 
 Dead— 
 
 With its loss and its gain : 
 Fled— 
 
 With its joy and its pain. 
 And o'er the old year's mystic tomb 
 
 There pass the g-hosts of silenced dead — 
 The light of morns, the cloud-hung gloom 
 
 Of nights .... While o'er the hearts that bled 
 From sorrow and from sin, 
 Our fair new year has cast the shroud 
 
 Of half forgetfulness. 
 Dead— 
 
 With its cold and its gloom : 
 Fled— 
 
 With its harsh words of doom. 
 
 Born — 
 
 With new hopes and new ties : 
 Morn — 
 
 With new life and new skies. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 71 
 
 And hearts take up the Ijre of hope — 
 
 While sound the thrilling- chords of love ; 
 And lives no more in darkness g^rope .... 
 
 In sunlig-ht streaming- from above, 
 
 Dear messag-es of Lig"ht 
 Are sent from heaven — and, lo, the nig-ht 
 
 Is lost in radiant morn. 
 Born — 
 
 With assurance of rest : 
 Morn — 
 
 Whispering-, "God knoweth best." 
 
72 SONGS OF THE SOUIv. 
 
 TO MY GRANDMOTHER 
 
 (On Her Seventy-eighth Birthday. 
 
 Could I chatig-e this stumbling- meter 
 To a song* of praise completer 
 
 Than the singing- of the birds ; 
 Could I make the music sweeter 
 
 Than the flow of human words ; 
 Could I burst the bars asunder 
 That have kept m}^ Spirit under 
 
 Ban and blight of silence cold ; 
 Could I make the world, in wonder, 
 
 Hearken to the tale I told : — 
 
 Then might I in fitting- phrases 
 Say and sing-'the thrilling- praises 
 That are in mj heart for you ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 73 
 
 KINGS OF THE PAST 
 
 And what are 3'ou now ? . . For all of past g"lory 
 
 Your raiment is rust ; 
 And you have succumbed to the old, cold story, 
 
 Of dewless, dead dust. 
 Only your palace is richer than ever, 
 
 More splendid jouv throne. 
 But what have you, now, that Death did not sever ? 
 
 What call you your own ? 
 
 Ye King-s of the Past, the Present disowns you ; 
 
 Your fame is in gloom. 
 No heart that is here bewails or bemoans you : 
 
 Your bed is the tomb. 
 Brig-hter than ever, the sunlig-ht is shining- 
 
 Upon the g-lad Earth ; 
 We have no temper or time for repining- 
 
 The Past's ashen hearth. 
 
74 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Mould in your caverns ! The walls that surround 
 you, 
 
 Are cold as the g-old 
 In which you were drest . . . The earth-links that 
 bound you 
 
 Grew soft in Death's hold. 
 Fools ! to have strutted so proud in your splendors. 
 
 Your story is told. 
 For all of past pride, your Present eng-enders 
 
 A cupful of mould. 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 75 
 
 THE SAME SWEET STORY 
 
 The same sweet story, mj darling-, - 
 
 I'm telling- it over ag-ain ; 
 And love is sweeter for sorrow, 
 
 As roses are sweeter for rain ! 
 Out of the shadow, mj darling" — 
 
 There bursts into being-, the day ; 
 After the ravag-ing- tempest, 
 
 The rainbow in beauty's array ! 
 
 Out of the sorrow, my darling-. 
 
 The beautiful, tenderer joy ; 
 After the doubt and the ang-uish, 
 
 The faith that no trials destroy. 
 The same sweet stor}^ my darling-, 
 
 I'm telling- it over again : 
 That Love is sweeter for sorrow, 
 
 As roses are sweeter for rain ! 
 
76 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 FANCIES 
 
 God spoke to me through the flowers and. said : 
 "Heaven's sweetness and purity I show 
 
 In these, Mj children. Love them well for they 
 Are part of Me." I bowed my head — 
 
 Touched their fair faces with my lips. I know 
 They will return my soft caress some day ! 
 
 God murmured low, across the sea, and said : 
 " My love and My own constancy I show, 
 
 Throug-h this g-reat sea that g-rows alway." 
 I looked, and lo, a wondrous lig-ht that led 
 
 As to heaven's g-ate — And, by this, I know 
 
 Life's roug-h, dark stream shall meet God's sea 
 some day ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 77 
 
 TO MY MOTHER 
 
 Dear, open 3^our arms for me, — 
 For a little while in their embrace 
 Let holiest calm the storms displace. 
 Oh, lean from heaven in your tender grace — 
 
 And open your arms for me ! 
 
 Dear, open your heart for me, — 
 I have strug-g-led so from day to da}^. 
 But the lig-ht is faint and far away. 
 Oh, teach these murmuring- lips to pray, 
 
 And open your heart for me ! 
 
 Dear, open your Soul for me ! 
 Its treasures bare to my straining eyes, 
 And soaring down where my poor heart lics^ 
 Oh, blot with your tears its crimson dyes, — 
 
 And open your Soul for me ! 
 
 Dear, — open the Gate for me ! 
 Oh, Mother, 'tis I, 'tis I, your child ; 
 I call, for the waves are beating wild ! 
 (Then my Soul arose : for Mother smiled — 
 
 And sent down her faith to me! 
 
 L.oFC. 
 
78 SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 TO LOVE —THE MASTER MUSICIAN 
 
 Oh, take it and mould it, dear Love, to your will — 
 The Heart-that without you was never complete ! 
 
 Oh, lift it and fold it and waken its thrill, 
 And tune it forever, and temper its beat. 
 
 Oh, take it, beloved, and touch the dumb string's — 
 The Harp that is silent and covered with rust ; 
 
 ^Twill quiver, Beloved, and spread out its wing-s — 
 And Music will tremble, a Dove, from the dust ! 
 
 Oh, polish to brig-htness the silent, dark thing- ; 
 And keep it and love it — your being- to fill. 
 
 Oh, Master Musician, — each quivering- string- 
 Forever shall hearken, and speak to your will ! 
 
 Till heaven shall listen, entranced, to the song-. 
 And earth shall awaken and tremble and thrill ! 
 
 Oh, Master Musician, — 'twas silent so long- 
 That now in its g-ladness 'twill never be still ! 
 
SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Oh, take it and mould it, dear Love, to 3'our will- 
 The Heart God created for Love to make true ! 
 
 Oh, lift it and love it — the Harp that was still — 
 O ! Master Musician, it wakens for you ! 
 
8o SONGS OF THE SOUL. 
 
 JUDGMENT 
 
 ( I Corinthians^ 4:5,) 
 
 Ivook not to men for judg-ment that is just, 
 
 For, sig-htless, men peer down and find a stain 
 Where stain is not ; and looking- j-et ag'ain, 
 
 See g-randeur where is none . . . But g-iveyour trust 
 
 To God i )ne, who raised you from the dust — 
 To Him alone, who sends the sun and rain ! 
 And thoug-h in all death's darkness, ye have lain, 
 
 Ye may arise, the conqueror of lust. 
 
 Nor look to self for judg-ment ;^neither faint 
 
 Upon the way, nor shrink beneath the rod ; 
 
 The One of Love lets not His children trudge 
 Uncomforted, nor lets the shadow taint 
 
 The lives of them, nor dim the way to God. 
 
 Man — Woman — live your life, and let God judg-e! 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 17 — 4th line; for "sfa/-u/>," read ^\sealt'd-iif>.'" 
 Page 47 — 2d stanza, 4lh line; for "'ashed,'' read "ashoi.'" 
 Page 54 — Last line but one; for ''toonied,'' read ' tombed. 
 
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 WERT 
 
 BOOKBINCXNC 
 
 Gi-antvilte, Pa 
 Nov Dec 1988