Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: TO A CHILD. Ever joyous, ever free, In thy sweet simplicity, With thy form of perfect grace, With thy happy, smiling face, With a look of earnest truth, With the trust of early youth; Ever fond and ever true Beams thine eye of deepest blue? Happy, joyous, gleeful, wild, Nature’s careless, lovely child. Thou art dearer far to me Than the wealth of land and saa? Strewing sunshine on my way? Giving pleasure all the day; Changeful as a summer breeze, Murmuring thro’ the forest trees; TO A CHILD. 36 Now with anxious, upturned look, Now with eye that cannot brook Aught save love, and mirth, and joy, - Happy, smiling, loving boy With few sins to be forgiven, Thou art leading me to Heaven. THE RAIN. Oh, very dark and dreary, Mournful, sad and weary, Passeth the long, long day! While unmindful of my pain, The gloomy, fitful rain Chaseth bright thoughts away. Now ‘gainst the window pane Comes the cold and dashing rain, With a ceaseless clatter; My heart beats sad and lone, And mingling with its tone Is the weary patter. Not a bird is on the tree, Not a busy humming bee Is out upon the earth: THE RAIN. 37 Nor in the leafy bowers Nor hov'ring o'er the flowers, With merry song of mirth. The dark clouds hurry by, And thickly veil the sky, And the earth is filled with gloom; Ming'ling with the thunder’s crash Is the vivid lightning’s flash, That lighteth up my room. Slow drags the weary day, For Thou art far away, And I listen here for thee? For thy coming once again, But nothing but the rain From my window can I see. See ! now the clouds are breaking? The birds their songs are waking On leafy bush and tree; For the dreary, dismal rain Has left us, and again Gleams sunlight bright and free. 38 THE KAKf. Oh, my…
