Bonnie bird, confiding, fearless, seekest thou a friend in me?
Nature wears her snowy mantle, keen and biting is the blast,
Enter quickly by my window, well thou knowest thou art free,
Food and shelter here thou findest, linger till the storm be past.
Verses
SUGGESTED BY A CHANCE PERUSAL OF EXTRACTS
FROM 'JEAN PAUL.'
With reproach and bitter censure, visit not an erring friend,
But with needful admonition mingle tenderness and love:
Words of clemency and pardon ever to Repentance tend,
Barb'ed words of anger only to repeated evil move.
"Stand froth, O man, my riddle solve,"
Death, all disdainful, cries;
Man strives th' enigma to revolve,
'Tis all in vain -- he dies.
Flutter, gem of Heaven's designing, flutter through the House of God,
While the Preacher's earnest accents fall upon th' attentive ear.
From the Universal Temple, from sweet Nature's own abode,
Welcome to this sacred Temple, thou art too a Preacher here.
Fallen Youth, O, hearken to me,
Yield thee not to black Despair,
Thou hast sinned; let true Repentance
Be thy Care.
Sternly cast Temptation from thee,
Shun the trodden ways of sin,
And the victory o'er Evil
Strive to win.
This, O youth, is true Repentance,
Not alone to mourn the past
But the future with the byegone
To contrast.
Sin no more, let resolution
Ever mortal weakness leaven;
Thine shall be the crown of virtue,
Thine be Heaven ------------ .
Woman, confess! strength is thine adoration,
For thou are weak; thy part is to revere,
And in thy worship lives not emulation
But rather clinging tenderness and fear,
While man approves thy loving heart, yet may
Not gentleness with gentleness repay.
Can erring man true happiness attain,
Can human sin and weakness be forgiven?
Ah yes! Religion is the golden chain
That binds our Earth to the high Throne of Heaven.
Thy fault I freely pardon thee,
Enough of bitterness and pain;
As we have been, so let us be,
And meet as loving friends again.
Tis sweet another to forgive
And wrath indignant to control;
But mine own fault how may I strive
To banish from my anxious soul?
A bitter task! though I would fain
Oblivion of the past enforce,
Excuses for myself are vain
And ever mingled with remorse.
Comfort thee, comfort thee,
God five thee courage
O thou afflicted one,
Bravely to bear tine
Adversity.
What are afflictions?
Thunder-clouds looming
Black in the distance,
Ominous, threatening
Death and destruction
As they advance.
Hast thou not often
Seen the black thunder-cloud,
Onward and onward,
Ever advancing
Slowly in Heaven,
Until it looms overhead?
Hast not expectant
Waited the fire-flash,
And the dread rattle,
And the accompanying storm?
Lo! thine eye glancing
O'er the cloud's bosom
Sees no terrific
Blackness and fury --
What in the distance
Loomed black as thunder,
Overhead reaching
Seems only grey.
So man's afflictions --
(Comfort thee, comfort thee,)
Though they may harass
Seldom o'erwhelm.
When they approach thee
Nearer and nearer,
Black and malignant
Threatening measureless ill,
Calmly reliant
On thy strong manhood
Stand thou undaunted,
Awaiting Destruction
Her victim unfalt'ring
To claim;
Lo! from thy vision
May glide unexpected
The terror-inspiring
Clouds of black omen,
And sorrow and mourning
Depart.
FINIS.
Scottish Ballads and Other Poems.
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I'd love to have you drop by!--Barbara
