* 63 * ABOU BEN ADHEM AND THE ANGEL. ABOU BEN ADHEM (may his tribe increase!) Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, "What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head, And with a look made of all sweet1 accord 2 Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. 66 Nay, not so," Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerly still, and said, "I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men." The Angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. LEIGH HUNT. 1 all sweet, wholly or very sweet. 2 accord, harmony. * 64 * THE THRUSH'S NEST. WITHIN a thick and spreading hawthorn bush I watched her secret toils from day to day, How true she warped the moss to form her nest, And modelled it within with wool and clay. And by and by, like heath-bells gilt with dew, There lay her shining eggs as bright as flowers, Ink-spotted over, shells of green and blue; And there I witnessed in the summer hours A brood of Nature's minstrels chirp and fly, Glad as the sunshine and the laughing sky. J. CLARE. *65* THE BIRD IN A CAGE. OH! who would keep a little bird confined, 1 cowslip, the English cowslip, — a specics of primrose. Oh! who would keep a little bird confined W. L. BOWLES. * 66 * THE WORM. TURN, turn, thy hasty foot aside, The common Lord of all that move, A portion of his boundless love The sun, the moon, the stars, he made And spread o'er earth the grassy blade, Let them enjoy their little day, T. GISBORNE. 1 wayward, wilful. * 67 * THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE GLOW WORM. A NIGHTINGALE, that all day long W. COWPER. * 68 * BEAUTIFUL THINGS. WHAT millions of beautiful things there must be In this mighty world! Who could reckon them all? The tossing, the foaming, the wide flowing sea, Oh, there are the mountains, half covered with snow; And tall and dark trees, like a girdle of green; Vast caves in the earth, full of wonderful things, The bones of strange animals, jewels, and spars ;1 Or, far up in Iceland, the hot boiling springs, Like fountains of feathers or showers of stars! Here spread the sweet meadows with thousands of flowers; Far away are old woods that for ages have grown: Wild elephants sleep in the shade of their bowers, Or troops of young antelopes think them their own. Oh, yes, they are glorious all to behold, And pleasant to read of, and curious to know; And something of God and his wisdom we're told, ⠀⠀atever we look at, wherever we go. 1 spar, a shining mineral. JANE TAYLOR. |