Kneels with the native of the farthest West;
And Ethiopia spreads abroad the hand,
And worships. Her report has travelled forth
Into all lands. From every clime they come
To see thy beauty, and to share thy joy,
O Sion! an assembly such as Earth

Saw never, such as Heaven stoops down to see.

PART VIII.

DEATH AND IMMORTALITY.

SONGS OF BEING.

SARGENT'S SELECTION.

THE BIRTH.

HAIL! new-waked atom of the eternal whole,
Young voyager upon Time's mighty river!
Hail to thee, Human Soul!

Hail, and for ever!

Pilgrim of life, all hail!

He who at first called forth

From nothingness the earth,

Who clothed the hills in strength, and dug the sea,

Who gave the stars to gem

Night like a diadem,

Thou little child, made thee;

Young habitant of earth

Fair as its flowers, though brought in sorrow forth,

Thou art akin to God who fashioned thee!

The heavens themselves shall vanish as a scroll, The solid earth dissolve, the stars grow pale,

But thou, O Human Soul,

Shalt be immortal!

Hail!

Thou young Immortal, Hail!

He, before whom are dim

Seraph and cherubim,

Who gave the archangels strength and majesty,

Who sits upon heaven's throne,

The Everlasting One,

Thou little child, made thee!

Fair habitant of earth,

Immortal in thy God, though mortal by thy birth, Born for life's trials, hail! all hail to thee!

THE DEATH.

SHRINK not, O Human Spirit!

The Everlasting Arm is strong to save!
Look up, look up, frail nature! put thy trust
In Him who went down mourning to the dust,
And overcame the grave!

Quickly goes down the sun;

Life's work is almost done;

Fruitless endeavor, hope deferred, and strife!
One little struggle more,

One pang, and then is o'er

All the long, mournful weariness of life.
Kind friends, 't is almost past;
Come now, and look your last!

SONGS OF BEING.

265

Sweet children, gather near,

And his last blessing hear.

See how he loved you, who departeth now! And, with thy trembling step and pallid brow, O, most beloved one,

Whose breast he leaned upon,

Come, faithful unto death,

Receive his parting breath!

The fluttering spirit panteth to be free, -
Hold him not back who speeds to victory!
-The bonds are riven, the struggling soul is free!

Hail, hail, enfranchised spirit!

Thou that the wine-press of the field hast trod!
On, blest Immortal, on through boundless space,
And stand with thy Redeemer, face to face,
And bow before thy God!

Life's weary work is o'er,

Thou art of earth no more,

No more art trammelled by the oppressive clay, But tread'st with wingéd ease

The high acclivities

Of truths sublime, up heaven's crystalline way.

Here is no bootless quest;

The city's name is Rest;

Here shall no fear appall;

Here love is all in all;

Here shalt thou win thy ardent soul's desire;
Here clothe thee in thy beautiful attire.

Lift, lift thy wondering eyes!
Yonder is Paradise,

And this fair shining band

Are spirits of thy land!

And these that throng to meet thee are thy kin, Who have awaited thee, redeemed from sin! The city gates unfold, enter, O enter in!

TO NIGHT.

J. BLANCO WHITE.

MYSTERIOUS Night! when our first parent knew
Thee from report divine, and heard thy name,
Did he not tremble for this lovely frame,

This glorious canopy of light and blue?
Yet 'neath a curtain of translucent dew,
Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame,
Hesperus with the host of heaven came,
And lo! creation widened in man's view.
Who could have thought such darkness lay
concealed

Within thy beams, O sun? or who could find,

Whilst fly, and leaf, and insect stood revealed, That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind? Why do we, then, shun death with anxious strife?

If light can thus deceive, wherefore not life?