THE RAIN-DROP.
BY MISS E. W. BARNES.
It quivered on a bended spray—A rain-drop, bright and clear—Though beautiful, it waked sad thoughts,'Twas so like sorrow's tear.And on its crystal surface layReflected, calm as heaven,The glories of the summer sky,With purple tints of even;And earth's transcendent lovelinessWas also on its breast,As with her dewy smiles she madeThe parting sunbeam blest.I loved the rain-drop, as it hungSo trustingly the while—The verdant earth, the glowing heavenReflected in its smile.A symbol seemed it to mine eyeOf the loving human heart,That lives but in the smile of God,Which earth and heaven impart.I gazed into its tiny sphere—In miniature it lay,A world of beauty, trembling there,And soon to pass away—To pass from earth, and leave no trace,But the memory divineOf beauty, which, within the heart,Erects its own pure shrine.The breeze passed by; it swayed the boughWhere the sweet gem was hung;But, with tenacious grasp, it stillFondly and closely clung.Nor, till with a resistless powerThe mighty wind swept by,Did the frail thing, so beautiful,In shattered fragments lie.And thus, though moved by every breezeThat sweeps along our way,Our hearts still cling to life, and stillThe world asserts its sway.But, like the rain-drop, pure and clear,That hangs upon the bough,Oh! soul of mine, give back earth's light,Reflect its glories, thou!Give back the summer's rosy tints,The verdant tree, the flower;Give back the mountain and the mead,The summer sun and shower.But ah! in thy far deeper depthsMay heaven reflected lie;Its holy calm—its voiceless wave,Serene as yon soft sky.Unruffled be those silent depths—Calm, though the tempest lower.My Saviour! walk thou on the wave,And let it feel thy power.Speak to the troubled waters,Peace,And passion ne'er shall rise,Nor doubt, nor care, to dim the lightThat greets me from the skies.
It quivered on a bended spray—A rain-drop, bright and clear—Though beautiful, it waked sad thoughts,'Twas so like sorrow's tear.And on its crystal surface layReflected, calm as heaven,The glories of the summer sky,With purple tints of even;And earth's transcendent lovelinessWas also on its breast,As with her dewy smiles she madeThe parting sunbeam blest.I loved the rain-drop, as it hungSo trustingly the while—The verdant earth, the glowing heavenReflected in its smile.A symbol seemed it to mine eyeOf the loving human heart,That lives but in the smile of God,Which earth and heaven impart.I gazed into its tiny sphere—In miniature it lay,A world of beauty, trembling there,And soon to pass away—To pass from earth, and leave no trace,But the memory divineOf beauty, which, within the heart,Erects its own pure shrine.The breeze passed by; it swayed the boughWhere the sweet gem was hung;But, with tenacious grasp, it stillFondly and closely clung.Nor, till with a resistless powerThe mighty wind swept by,Did the frail thing, so beautiful,In shattered fragments lie.And thus, though moved by every breezeThat sweeps along our way,Our hearts still cling to life, and stillThe world asserts its sway.But, like the rain-drop, pure and clear,That hangs upon the bough,Oh! soul of mine, give back earth's light,Reflect its glories, thou!Give back the summer's rosy tints,The verdant tree, the flower;Give back the mountain and the mead,The summer sun and shower.But ah! in thy far deeper depthsMay heaven reflected lie;Its holy calm—its voiceless wave,Serene as yon soft sky.Unruffled be those silent depths—Calm, though the tempest lower.My Saviour! walk thou on the wave,And let it feel thy power.Speak to the troubled waters,Peace,And passion ne'er shall rise,Nor doubt, nor care, to dim the lightThat greets me from the skies.
It quivered on a bended spray—A rain-drop, bright and clear—Though beautiful, it waked sad thoughts,'Twas so like sorrow's tear.
It quivered on a bended spray—
A rain-drop, bright and clear—
Though beautiful, it waked sad thoughts,
'Twas so like sorrow's tear.
And on its crystal surface layReflected, calm as heaven,The glories of the summer sky,With purple tints of even;
And on its crystal surface lay
Reflected, calm as heaven,
The glories of the summer sky,
With purple tints of even;
And earth's transcendent lovelinessWas also on its breast,As with her dewy smiles she madeThe parting sunbeam blest.
And earth's transcendent loveliness
Was also on its breast,
As with her dewy smiles she made
The parting sunbeam blest.
I loved the rain-drop, as it hungSo trustingly the while—The verdant earth, the glowing heavenReflected in its smile.
I loved the rain-drop, as it hung
So trustingly the while—
The verdant earth, the glowing heaven
Reflected in its smile.
A symbol seemed it to mine eyeOf the loving human heart,That lives but in the smile of God,Which earth and heaven impart.
A symbol seemed it to mine eye
Of the loving human heart,
That lives but in the smile of God,
Which earth and heaven impart.
I gazed into its tiny sphere—In miniature it lay,A world of beauty, trembling there,And soon to pass away—
I gazed into its tiny sphere—
In miniature it lay,
A world of beauty, trembling there,
And soon to pass away—
To pass from earth, and leave no trace,But the memory divineOf beauty, which, within the heart,Erects its own pure shrine.
To pass from earth, and leave no trace,
But the memory divine
Of beauty, which, within the heart,
Erects its own pure shrine.
The breeze passed by; it swayed the boughWhere the sweet gem was hung;But, with tenacious grasp, it stillFondly and closely clung.
The breeze passed by; it swayed the bough
Where the sweet gem was hung;
But, with tenacious grasp, it still
Fondly and closely clung.
Nor, till with a resistless powerThe mighty wind swept by,Did the frail thing, so beautiful,In shattered fragments lie.
Nor, till with a resistless power
The mighty wind swept by,
Did the frail thing, so beautiful,
In shattered fragments lie.
And thus, though moved by every breezeThat sweeps along our way,Our hearts still cling to life, and stillThe world asserts its sway.
And thus, though moved by every breeze
That sweeps along our way,
Our hearts still cling to life, and still
The world asserts its sway.
But, like the rain-drop, pure and clear,That hangs upon the bough,Oh! soul of mine, give back earth's light,Reflect its glories, thou!
But, like the rain-drop, pure and clear,
That hangs upon the bough,
Oh! soul of mine, give back earth's light,
Reflect its glories, thou!
Give back the summer's rosy tints,The verdant tree, the flower;Give back the mountain and the mead,The summer sun and shower.
Give back the summer's rosy tints,
The verdant tree, the flower;
Give back the mountain and the mead,
The summer sun and shower.
But ah! in thy far deeper depthsMay heaven reflected lie;Its holy calm—its voiceless wave,Serene as yon soft sky.
But ah! in thy far deeper depths
May heaven reflected lie;
Its holy calm—its voiceless wave,
Serene as yon soft sky.
Unruffled be those silent depths—Calm, though the tempest lower.My Saviour! walk thou on the wave,And let it feel thy power.
Unruffled be those silent depths—
Calm, though the tempest lower.
My Saviour! walk thou on the wave,
And let it feel thy power.
Speak to the troubled waters,Peace,And passion ne'er shall rise,Nor doubt, nor care, to dim the lightThat greets me from the skies.
Speak to the troubled waters,Peace,
And passion ne'er shall rise,
Nor doubt, nor care, to dim the light
That greets me from the skies.