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PSb475 fJ34W6 J 3UJ^ MINGSTON NEWS [.1%. / Queen's University Library ^he "Douglas Library Kingston, Ontario GIFT OF \A\ss Kvtv^vtj ^ouAer RN Bi I \ / 1 { r J * V Woodland; RND OTHER RHYMES Bv A. D. MacNEILL, Orangedale, N.S. r ) ^F ?5 i'^is'- Ais^ U/i i \ ) fy\ Woobianbs^ anb oil)ct Kl^ymc: o I I' u -i s The Woodlands. I linger on a mound of mess In woodlands blooming fair in spring, And zephyrs soft the branches toss, Whereon the wooing warblers sing. The cascades gleam, the aspens shake, And broadly smiles the sunny lake, To greet the tinted rills that flow Through winding dells where ashes grow. Here Nature is so kind and good I dearly love the solitude ; And in the gently flowing air, A hush of voice as if in prayer. Soft cadence from the balmy pine Encharms the woodland heart and mine. mil Salt Mountain. Broad based salt mountain, as I stand Upon thy brow, sublime and grand Emotions strangely me command To adoration. As I muse Upon the vast and varied views. And blending of the mingled hues— The wrinkled mantle of the bay. The early smokes in glory gray. The leas in green and spangled gay, The mountain range and open glade, I hold the loveliness and grace Reveal our Father's smiling face. r^ » / c 200386 Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Maple Tree. O, towering maple, giant tree, Whose fallen leaves in ages hoar Have reared this massive mound for thee, To brave the storm forevermore. Thou standest in the solitude, A lasting monument of good. In autumn beauties glorified, You garner from the flowing breeze, The soil and sunbeams' mystic tide, A honey sweeter than the bees'; And April birch-troughs on the snow With your sweet bounty overflow. Fair emblem of my native land, I clasp thee with a loving hand. •nil The First Strawberry. O, early berry of the wild, So soft, so red, and sweet withal. How vividly you do recall The tender fancies of the child ; The living interest and glee, The luxury of nature's book, The charming novels of the brook, So fresh and beautiful to me ! And still as m the early days I strolled amid this knolly glade, I find thee fragrant in the shade. Beside the winding, olden ways, A delicacy without peer, The choicest product of the year, Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Mayflower. O, blushing flower of virgin hue That shimmers softly in the light, Which changes into diamond dew The fallen tears of mournful night ; I love to haunt the copsy green And woo thy loveliness serene. You teach me fortitude and faith Our sullen, winter storms may brave, In living glories after death Reviving from your snowy gravfr. The herald of the welcome days When chilling winds have passed away. You meekly creep the moss, your eye Up peers in kinship with the sky. mil Sonnet. And what to me the ceaseless ebb and flow, The rage of parties and the cry of creeds, The throes of nations swaying to and fro Amid the clang of neverdying deeds ; The evil shadows stealing on the land, The vital glories of the dawning light Of holy faith and science' flaming brand Adorning the receding trails of night ? The stormy sea will ever chafe the shore. The streamlet wear the granite in its course, The changing earth will change forevermore. The soul will ever seek its mystic source. And I shall reach some charitable shore Where chill nor shade can vex me nevermore. T Woodlands and other Rhymes. The May. I rest upon a mossy hill Of violets in May, Beside a broad and winding rill Where jolly fishes play. The sky is azure overhead, The sward is green below. Around or in the river-bed The budding alders grow. The wren her joyful carol sings, The blackbird whistles shrill ; And finches flit on fairy wings, Or perched, with warbles thrill The shady, balmy groves of fir, The warm and wholesome air : So mellow music is astir And flowing debonair. And in the gentle solitude My spirit is at ease. The shadows of the pleasant wood My melancholy please. Nor is it strange that in my heart There sounds a plaintive strain, That I from nature must depart Nor ever come again. I know the holy land above Is lovelier than this, But still our lonesome native love Is surely not amiss. Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Pessimist. Atomic beings we can hardly see With microscopic aid, and nations sage In grim contests and bloody wars engage, In ghastly struggles to be grand or free ; And famines, pestilence and common woe The earth with pain and anguish overflow, So from the heart of nature sounds a cry Of awful agony against the sky. Nor aught of living i;s ("rom danger free But cowers in terror ii on land or sea. In cheerful laugh; !r, ar the wir : king said, The heart is wounded by a present dread, Man drags through lit i load of pain and care. And dying, often leaves it in despair. mil The Optimist. No thrill of pain but brings a sweeter good. No darkness but insures a fairer light, This world of ours is glorious and bright, On sea, on shore, in sky and wold and wood. The earth yields more than mankind ever use. And Nature smiles in garden, glade and grove. In all the symbols beautiful of love. As corn, and healing balm and fragrant hues. The day resounds with music in the groves. The lambs are frisking on the hills in glee. And night is charming with the melody Of nightingales that warble for their loves. But swpeter still await us evermore When we are wafted to the golden shore. 8 Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Lone Ego. Seek sunset's wizard glow, The moonbeam's glamour bright, The youthful feeling's flow, The holy, inner light. The glories of the wold. The beauties of the wood, The magic charm of gold, The passions of the flood. The mysteries of time, The rainbow's fairy gleam. The music of a chime, The phantoms of a dream, Still in a fathomless unknown Thy soul is dwelling all alone. mil Sonnet. Be calm, O Soul, the twilight fades to dark, (Gone froni us ever ? No ! ) ; a solemn hush Pervades the lonesome earth, save as you hark The drowsy warblers of the dusky bush. The sage, who longed to know and live the good In ages all, and evil bias fought With forceful pain, and watchful solitude. Or worthiness with holy fervours sought— Found fretful failure if in China swart, Araby's wastes, or Hindu jungles drear. Or else ; nor found a healing for the heart. But now — our Daysman freely opened here The universal mysteries of Love, And brought us light and sweetness from above. Woodlands and other Rhymes. The First Bee. O, tuneful creature whither bound This charming summer day ? I durst not hope you flew around So early in the May. But you are wakened from your sleep To seek where modest violets peep. You sip their sweet aroma dews And murmur as you go, The loveliness of many hues With promise overflow ; Of sweetness often bitter rife As mortals find the buds of life. But else has taught me you may sing How close the honey to your sting. mil Sonnet. The angels of heaven are floating around On silvery pinions, and, whispering low In accents of melodies' mellow that flow. For bosoms where blossoms of glory abound To warn of the coming of demons intent On blighting with venom their beauty and scent. They hear the sweet voices who list to the roll Of echoes that chime in the deeps ot the soul, And nerved for the battle they conquer the foe ^ And sing as rejoicing in triumph they go ; The praise of the Lamb on Mount Calvary slain To ransom the sinner and bring him again To glory and rapture and life evermore And the throne of our Lord whom the angels adore. I 3 to ! i ' \ Woodlands and other Rhynies. The Invisible Hand. Who can trace out the sprouting of a thought From farthest, finest root to highest bud ? Where can the potent energy be sought That moulds our being into bad or good ? Behind the veil unseen, there moves a hand That guides the downy snowflake's silent flight, And moulds the destiny our wills command, And shapes the gloomy darkness and the light. It moves the stars, this mighty universe, And makes the lily smile ; it moves the soul : We watch the currents flowing, not the source Beyond us lying in the perfect Whole, Where stubborn Logic plows, or Fancy plays, Or tides of passion in their fulness rage, A potent presence moulds the marching days. Directs the genius and inspires the sage We are but factors in a mighty plan Or picture, formed in God's creative mind, Which Satan ever darkens where he can, And paints unwittingly the shades designed. To emphasize the beauties, manifest That dying love which, otherwise concealed, Displays in full divine perfections best Of all the marvels that have been revealed. And what, though darkness gather overhead. The thunder roll, forked lightning cleave the sky. Wolves howl, earth tremble, and a nameless dread Oppress my wounded soul, nor refuge nigh ? Woodlands and other Rhymes. II In this my stay, I am not here alone : One part is mine, the other half divine ; The laws inexorable are His own, Our Father's hand behind them is benign. mil Oblivion. The earth will roll around the sun To mark the flow of time, And bring us winter, blooming spring. July and harvest on swift wing Till his own sand is run. Till sky and sea flash into flame sublime. The tide will ever ebb and flow, The moon will wax and wane. The gladsome day will follow night, And morning wander with delight. Life ever onward go. In broader waves of light for fuller gain. The wedding will have mirth, the grave Her gloom, and dawn a glow. And sunset ever fade to night ; The heart for love, the eye for light Will joy and ever crave, And years will line the virgin's curls with snow. But we forgotten pass away ; Somewhere, some other place In God's vast universe above, Aglow with splendours of His love. Shall be our rest and stay, Beholding rapt the glory of His face. 12 Woodlands and other Rhymes^ The Rainbow. Fair bow of God forever span the skies With fairy arch of many-tinted light, And loveliness so beautiful a sight As greeted holy Noah's gladdened eyes. Bright token of God's favour towards men Recalling childhoods happy dreams again ; The splendid visions ot far-off delight, Broad gleams of love and beauty still beyond The mortal reach of aspiration fond, Behind the azure dome, or to the sight Of fairy beings palpable alone, Until the soul be nobler, lovelier grown, And clad in garments beautiful as thine. Incapable of stain, alike divine. mil Free Will. Yes, man is bold and free, and yet, somehow, A something, not himself his free-will sways, Like as the river from the mountain's brow Flows freely, while the valleys shape its ways. How free the wild-winds chase the heaving flood, And shriek in fury dashing o'er the main ! But Law completely reins their wayward mood, Impels their onset, brings to pause again. A viewless rider guides the mystic soul, Controls the free impulses of the will. And moulds our being to a rounded whole, A mingled mystery of good and ill. Woodlands and other Rhymes. I3 Ode to Mr. Gladstone. Rest, strong soul, the harvest sun is low, Beneath the glory clouds, and mellow light Floods hill and dale ; thy work is done. Well done, and twilight fading into night ; Home, sweet home, beside the ruddy glow Of embers bright, enjoy the peerless honor won. Calm, soft calm, the hush of eventide, Invites repose and quiet peaceful rest Well earned ; the gentle night is nigh, Her silent tread approaching to the west ; Sleep, softly sleep, thy labor will abide, The glory of your name will never, never die. Morn, sweet morn, await your waking dreams, Bright dawn of day, eternal happv day ; New beauties, lucid truth and love Flow full with ever sweeter, brighter ray. Heaven, O, Heaven, in thy lucid beams We lose our fairest light to sweeten still above. mil In those solemn darker moments When the lamp of life burns low. And the swooning soul is losing What of earthly love is dear, Oh ! the clinging of the spirit To the Friend we yearn to know, As we pass beyond the dusky Veil enshrouding Hope and Fear. ' 14 Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Moon. O, moon arising red and broad To beautify the lonesome night, With fairy robes of silvern light, That warm the lilies as they nod In slumber on the dewy wold, I marvel as you circle round Our space of melancholy ground, If human sorrow you behold That saddens so your solemn brow : Or, if you mourn loss of your rwn, The life, the sages say is flown Out from your bosom, barren now. Sail on, fair moon, across the starry deep And woo the moody sea while mortals leep. mil Sonnet. O happy wood and pleasant glade, O joyous floods that ever flow. Enlivened by the charming glow Of budding roses' fragrant shade ; Yon distant hills of stainless blue. Are beautiful but I love you. For ye and I were ever friends And lovers in the early days. And grown now to stranger ways ; Not therefore less your music blends In tuneful harmony with mine, And pathos almost half divine. And, what if other friends be strange ? Your love and beauty never change. VVoodlands and other Rhymes. 15 To the Queen. By sweeter singers, Queen beloved, Thy goodness has been wed to song, Yet would I do my nature wrong, If I forbore in leal accord Of loyalty to add a word : To do thee hcnour as the best And holiest queen that ever wore The golden symbols. From the west Columbia to Cape Breton shore, That names our lovely Highland isle In sympathy with sob or smile, Of thine, our brawny bosoms move, With loyal love we long to prove. iiiii Sonnet. The more I live, I relish life the more. And find a finer beauty on the hills, More aspiration in the billows' roar. More pathos in the music of the rills. The songsters of the grove in sweeter lays Exhale the charming fragrance of their love. And fairer flowers adorn the thorny ways. And brighter clouds encharm the blue above. More loveliness the vesper skies adorn, More glamour in the moon's enchanting light, A rarer glory in the smiles of morn, More fascination in the stars of night. And from the world outflows a broader love For man, for nature, and the land above. i6 Woodlands and other Rhymes. The Water-lily. O, water-lily in the pond, You float so lovely and so light. With all thy charms in open sight, Set to the ebon calm beyond ; It were a crime such bloom to cull, You look so pure and beautiful. But I would walk the wholesome wood. And view thy blossoms day by day ; And you would teach me how to pray. Alone amid the solitude. Who from the dark and murky wave, Your stainless bloom and fragrance gave, Will sanctify the seeking soul. For love can beautify the whole. mil The nosquito. O, trumpet-throated little fly I wish that all of you would die. Although it may be wrong ; But you are very much alive And prove your fitness to survive By keenness of your tongue. Here lying in the woodland shade, In native loveliness arrayed, I felt that I was blest ; When round me surged your savage swarm, Alike intent to do me harm And calm of soul molest. But could I learn your mournful song Perhaps I should forgive the wrong. Woodlands and other Rhymes. 17 The Seagull. Fair bird, whose silvery pinions sweep The hoary bosom of the deep, Or braced against the raging gale Across the vast of heaven sail, I hold thee as a symbol dear Of loving hearts who persevere Amid the woes of life, and brave Temptation's dark and forceful wave That sweeps across us unawares ; And swooping gusts of froward cares That shrewdly vex us. But again, When throned upon the tranquil tide In snowy robe unflecked with stain, You seem a soul beatified. Mill The Sea. O Sea, lone, evermoving Sea, On thee I muse with loving awe, Unstable, bountiful and free. So vast, so graceful and sublime. As when the dusky dawn of time In shades your youthful raptures saw. Yet, though you come from ages hoar Before the beams of earth were laid. You shall not see the evermore For which the soul of man was made. So am I greater still than thee Designed for all eternity. Roar on, broad Sea, in deeper, hoarser bass Qhant to the rpoon your amatory lays, . i8 Woodlands and other Rhymes. . i i Friends— One, Two, Three. AN ACROSTIC. Dawn of the soul when highest reason wakes On a bare rock, and holy beauties throng New to the eye ; and love's sweet feeling strong, Artless, divine, the breath of heaven, makes Living a melody — on thee I muse Deeply full oft, and musing I behold Many majestic scenes of living joy unfold. Are we not ever changeful ? Can we choose Calmly what shall withstand the shocks of time ? Does not conception and sensation roll Onward, as moulded by the growing soul ? Never will change my love ideal, prime. Arisen like a cloud from morning dews. Laden with odors sweet and fairy hues. Dear friend, for thee, benign, clear soul sublime. Answer me this, strong Spirit of the rocks, (Nor me confuse by echoes weird and wrought Gaily by fairy phantasy of thought Useless) what key invisible unlocks Shackles that make your parts a unity ? " Merely the interspaces that extend Aptly obedient to external trend." Can space estranging separate from me My loyalty of love enshrined for thee, In whom at once inextricably blend Love to direct, and soul to comprehend. Large aspirations, living sympathy, A spirit gentle, and a purpose grand ? No— nor aught else, nor season's ebb and flowi Joy" of my heart, a lofty soul to know, Woodlands and other Rhymes. 19 Of vision true, strong, sturdy to command, Heroic ; and whose prebence is as balm — (Not influence benign of thought alone, Choice, cultured, captivating, clear and sown Along the flowing soul's profoundest calm ; Large reach the more of spirit unexprest, Directly beating in the inner shrine Ecstatic melody) — for woes of mine. Remembrances of thee can make me blest. mil Eve. The gleaming gloaming fades to ashen gray, The dusk steals softly down, the sober night Creeps on behind the fairy trails of day ; And solemn hush, lone in the drooping light, Kneels meekly on the wold in prayer for all, And from her eyelids full the dew drops fall In silent showers upon the springing green : Asleep the birds, the winds and waves asleep Beneath the silver spread of moonlit sheen And ebon calm ; for from the dusky deep Of heaven slumber swoops on downy wings Upon the earth, and wakened stars above Smile on the drowsy world, as if the tkings Beheld be}ow thrilled kindred chords of love. '» '; ' 20 Woodlands and other Rhymes. Genesis and Evolution. EVOLUTION. The first of all things vapour dark, A cloud compact fills space immense, Innumerable atoms whence Have sprung all things. Though seeming stark Inanimate, yet holds within A hidden life, a secret force. From which unfolds in Nature's course Whatever is or e'er has been. The world in all its features fair. The rolling main, the limpid brook, The floweret blooming in a nook, Reveals the beauties hidden there. The feathered tribes that cleave the breeze, The roaming life of field and wood. The sporting tenants of the flood, The cornfields and the verdant trees, Are incarnations of the germ Of life in matter darkly hid, Which, formed when certain causes bid. Disorganize, however *irm. When fails the plastic force innate. A cloud-dart red, a hurricane. An avalanche, a gentle rain, A Samson wrestling with a gate, The planets speeding in their course. The heart-throbs of a burning world, The angry ocean's tresses curled, ^re byt exponents of (he forc^ '^tM Woodlands and other Rhymes 21 ng stark se eze, bid, h Unseen locked up in all we see. Nor need we wonder if we find These particles without a mind, Unite in perfect harmony To form a world, for don't we see The silvery painting on tl e pane, The stem and branch, the leaf and vein Formed by the Frost King silently ? And molecules of matter dead. When liquids into solids change, In order so themselves arrange By inborn force within them led. That naught, that man can e'er devise, In beauty or in order fair With common charcoal can compare, Whene'er its atoms crystallize. And if upon a minor scale Such noble work by force is done, ' Who wonders if around the sun The circling planets yearly sail ? And who, that saw a tiny seed Unfolding form a tree or fern, Can find it difficult to learn The grijat but from the less proceed. Asleep a thousand silent years The life within the seed may hide ; But heat and moisture once supplied A leafy stem it quickly rears : - * l f \ i , i jj ■•mm !M! I 22 Woodlands and other Rhymes. So, when conditions were fulfilled In matter 'neath the new-born sea, Life seized the atoms silently In haste a tenement to build ; And forming first a cell minute. The wigwam in the wilderness, Evolved the greater from the less Until though motionless and mute A plant uprears its flowery head. And in succession then appear The moving life the waters rear By sponge-like forms in order led ; The reptiles apt alike to crawl The yielding clay or swim the deep, The pinioned birds that deftly sweep The waves or perch on pme-tree tall ; The denizens of hill and plain In order next upon the scene, Whose tusks and horns from danger screen Or aid rich sustenance to gain. And last in Evolution's plan. The noblest, wisest and the best. The joint production of the rest, " The peerless form divine of man. Who ages past the desert trod A hairy ape, alert and quick. Well versed in every monkey trick, Nor dreamt of angel or of God ; I Woodlands and other Rhymes. 23 A\^xa screen. But ate the produce of the wild, The tender leaves and juicy fruit ; And lived like any other brute Of gentle mien snd aspect mild ; Until a stern grim icy clime Displaced his flowery summer calm, Destroyed his cocoanuts and palm, And left him cheerless for a time. But, learning from his fiercer peers The art of preying on the weak, His want-worn form grew quickly sleek And vanished all his former fears. And, forced his powers to exert, In cunning and in skill he grew, His prey with rocks and cudgels slew And in the art became expert. • And sleeping in a rocky cave With moss and branches neatly lined. The first rude tenement designed The winter's stinging blast to brave, He dwelt secure. And when at last Returning summer's gentle rain • Brought back his lender dates again The bitter wintry cycle past, His leisure led him to invent New arts. And some convulsion grand, Meteoric flash, or unique brand Of cloud-bred flame, or mountains rent, Hi ; 24 Woodlands and other Rhymes. Awoke a certain sacred awe, That latent in his bosom lay, Winged aspiration's mystic ray Which sought what potent fancy saw. Unfolding thus in Nature's plan Increased the subtle simian mind, Until completed and refined We lose the monkey in the man. GENESIS. God willed, and heaven and earth appeared. Then chaos ruled, in darkness clad, Moved by His Spirit, till he bade The clear light shine ; and then upreared The shining clouds, at his command, Their fleecy forms against the skies — He bade the continents arise, Above the sea arose the land. He bade the dull earth dress in green To match the fine blue mellow skies. And herbs and verdant trees uprise To greet the light's resplendent sheen. He bade two great lamps flame in space ; The greater shone on endless day. The lesser with serener ray Shed silver on night's sable face. The surging flood at His command Begat her countless forms diverse ; The mighty whale, the minnow terse. And birds that soar above the land. Woodlands and other Rhymes. 25 1. He bade the earth to life bring forth, The earth brought forth each creeping kind, Endued with an instinctive mind, That treads the land from south to north. Then God said : 'Let us form a man To rule the earth, the air, and sea ; In our own image let him hs, And heaven and earth unite in one." In six successive cycles stood Creation from when chaos rolled Till Adam trod the flowery mould And God saw all was fair and good. mil .is Epitaph. Here sleeps our father's sacred dust Beneath the flowery sod, And in the holy land we trust His spirit rests in God. Though loving memories alone Here linger, still his love Seems deeper, broader, holier grown ; And nigher us above. 26 Woodlands and other Rhymes. The nerry Heiirt. " A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.' While quivering rays of moonlight played Amid the balmy pine trees' shade, A solemn summer night ; Above my soul in pensive mood ' Dark clouds of melancholy brood, And shiver into light. The shades of slain despair arise In ghostly gloom with haggard eyes, And hush my heart with awe ; And from the never fathomed deep, Grim, gaunt and ghastly phantoms creep And wander without law. Forebodings weird of shapeless woe And shadows of the long ago The inner chambers haunt ; While visions of a doleful night, Of howling darkness and affright Life's aspirations daunt. But flashed on memory's caverns came This sage idea like a flame : " As medicine insures Relief from pain, a merry heart Souls stricken by the venomed dart Of melancholy cures. " Woodlands and other Rhymes. So with the dawn I sought the glade, Where squirrels scorned and warblers played, And with an ardent art I searched the groves and verdured hills, The sunbeams and the running rills To find this merry heart. Not morning's loveliest smiles revealed The boon, and noontide still concealed Great Nature's balm for pain ; And at the fading vesper dyes That glorified the fleecy skies, The search was yet in vain. But as the shades of night drew on. The fairy ruler Oberon Revealed with magic art To me a moonlit, cosy room That held, in beauty's virgin bloom. The merry Mary Hart. 27 And there, as darkness flees from light. My gloom evanished into night Before the charming fair ; While sunshine from her azure eyes Within my bosom ever lies, And nurtures Eden there. if liil! 28 Woodlands and other Rhvmes. Paine Soluia. « I a 1 i II m ' (From Ossian.) As Myro, prince of Sora Isle, With oail bore by Fair Erin's shore, An open bay, that lay before In witching beauty's winsome smile, Revealed a sight of novelty, A mermaid frolic in the sea. It was an even nigh the calm, And twilight rested on the seas In fairy grandeur, and the breeze; Blew perfume from green groves of balm, And sporting in a secret nook Their curls the merry sea-nymphs shook. With silent sail drew Myro nigh In covert shade with throbbing awe, Until at closer range he saw The nymphs were Irish virgins shy, Who sought a rocky cave in fear, As from the hunter flee the deer. But cruel Myro for his bride The fairest seized and homeward steers, (Nor threats of vengeance, pleadings, tears Prevail with him), across the wide, On to his castle swiftly sped And with the tearful maiden wed. '^m^ Woodlands and other Rhymes. But she was all unhappy, she Oft strode alone along the strand And wept for Erin's happy land, For blithesome home and girlish glee : For if an eagle woo a dove Such were the charms of Myro's love. Ah ! Faine Soluis who can tell. As sitting on the rocks alone You hear the foam-tip billows moan, What passions in your bosom swell, If anger, loneliness, or love. The more your Celtic. spirit move ? In bitterness of soul a day She trod the fringe of ocean sand. And saw his skiff upon the strand And no one nigh : without delay She spread the white sails to the breeze And off for Erin o'er the seas. To Scotland's shore the winds and waves Conveyed the bark, and on the sand Was Fingal with a little band. And to the hero and his braves She told her tale, and at the words They swore her safety by their swords. But Myro followed fast his bride In hot pursuit across the wave, And heeded not that Fingal gave Protection, but with haughty stride And with drawn sword defiance frowned. Where Gaql stood forward on the groun4. 29 '# i iii I Nil I il 30 Woodlands and other Rhymes. O, Morni's son, no feeble hand Has cleft in twain the stranger's shield, But strong is he and skilled to wield. With artful ease, the dark-blue brand ; And should the combat long delay, 'Twill wear thy sturdiness away. To help the weaker without blame Threw Oscar with his left a dart, That missing Myro, in the heart Of Faine Soluis found an aim : She fell lamenting en the ground And Gaul the nerv^ess Myro bound. And there beside the torrent's flow, That murmurs with the lapping wave, They dug v^ith swords her lonely grave, Consoling Myro in his woe, And on her finger placed a ring Of gold in honour of the King. Woocflands and other Rhymes. 31 To the Memory of Rev. A. Farquharson, Minister, St. Andrew's Church, Sydney, C.B. The clouds are sleeping in the west, The sun is hid beneath the hills. He pours a flood of golden light, Of purple, crimson, colours bright. Bidding a pleasant day good night. All space a solemn silence fills ; Day's music hush'd, each bird at rest, Lies sleeping calmly in its nest. The pale moon rises in the sky In silence, slowly, sad, and lone ; And in my bosom, too, I feel A sad lone thought arise and steal From out the dark, and ring a peal To wake the soul— a solemn tone ; It asks : " Where sleep the good that die, And whither do their spirits fly ?" I think of those who went before To that fair land we love so long. To sing the never-ending song, And see the Lord whom we adore. And, while I count the saintly dead. The dear ones whom I knew below, Who, now beyond the reach of woe, The streets of gold, in glory tread. And answer ; "They are gone to rest At home with God and Christ their king, His never-dying love to sing, His dying love, forever blest, T4i'' I t 32 Woodlands and other Rhymes. My thoughts all cluster round the one, Who is my choicest friend above, Who left me ere our mutual love Was fully blown beneath the sun. For he was call'd so soon away, The angels longed to bear him home. And I was left alone to roam And muse on what I heard him say. His was a cheerful face, and fair ; A spirit, gentle, noble, kind ; A broad, clear, cultivated mind ; A heart as warm as breast could bear. r 1 cannot think of him as strange. Though now he dwells in bliss above ; His nature was so full of love, And love, we know, will never change. He seems the same, so kind, so true, So very near ; and yet afar I know he shines a golden star,* Whose beauty admiration drew From those around the pearly gate, Who watch for dear ones coming home, Who much rejoic'd in seeing come To glory such a splendid mate. Yet sad ! what brings them joy above Is all the burden of our woe, We lose our happiness below. They gain the spirit wjiQm we lovQi *Pan. xii : 3, Woodlands and other Rhymes. And sadder still, what brings him bliss And joy eternal, brings us pain ; He left us, paradise to gain, And are we selfish if we miss His presence, mourn his absence here, Although we know he's richer there ; And holier, happier, where Our Father wipes away the tear ? Ah ! no, for who can teach the heart To keep the bitter feelings down ? For, though he goes to wear a crown, 'Tis hard for loving hearts to part. The wife, whose joy was to behold The man who chose her for his own, Would bear indeed a heart of stone Should she not weep to see him cold. 'Tis nature's voice, and let it speak, And do not ask the reason why : It bids us weep for those who die ; We know the human heart is weak, Our sight is dim, we cannot see Behind the dark, and ascertain The joy that lies beyond the pain. For faith and sight so disagree. Ah ! Death does bitter feelings send, He frowns so darkly, seems a foe, ynbending, stern, we hardly know f|ow one so harsh can be ^ friepd. 33 34 Woodlands and other Rhymes. We weep, for he is gone away ; But he is only gone to prove The strength and measure of our Ipve, And we must here a little stay Until we too are call'd away To greet him on the golden strand, And clasp with thrilling joy his hand, And live in bliss with Him for aye. His work is done and truly well ; And many rise to call him blest ; The Master call'd him home to rest : Farewell, O, gentle soul, farewell. Mill Autumn. I love to walk the woods alone In autumn beauty, and behold The splendid paintings of the cold In sunset dyes on boughs, or strown On evergreens and moss below. Above the zephyrs softly sigh, The warblers pipe their tuneful strains ; The lake is beautiius, alive With birds— biise wings, and ducks that dive. And gulls, sea-swallows, eagles, cranes. In jocund freedom on the brine, Or grandly on the wing in line. And rabbits frisk in the denser woodi^ At liom^ in their dusky solitudes, Woodlands and other Rhymes, 35 Beauty and Love. I dwelt encharmed with i'eauty and l.ove In a paradise of roses fair, Each cloud was lined with gold above, And every shower a rainbow wove While music entranced the air. We trod the shore, and the mighty sea Sang proudly of deeds heroic done, The dark blue waves arose in glee To sound the trumpets of victory In far off ages won. We trod in the shades of vernal trees, Where flowers smiled in the dusky wood, A balm enchanted the flowing breeze, We saw on the moss outstretched at ease The spirit of solitude. We trod in the busy haunts of men, Where Art and Nature their charms combine. And Beauty and Love were crowned again, Yet could I not learn in town or glen Which one was the more divine. But Sorrow came on a day to me With sober face and he whispered low, " O, love is better on earth for thee, For she has a balm for misery, A solace for human woe." 36 Woodlands and other Rhymes. But Death drew nigh and I boldly said : " Is Beauty or Love the more divine ?' He solemnly smiled and shook his head, " In love-lit lands of the holy dead The two into one entwine." mil A Farewell Ode. How passed the days since we have met On pleasure's pinions swiftly led Each sun in deeper crimson set, Each morning wore a brighter red. All hearts did nobly beat as one. United with the golden cords, — In harmony and unison,— Of friendship's deeds and loving words. Life's stream with fleeter current flew. Its banks with fairest roses lined, A sweet perfume around did strew, While music burst from wave and wind. To bid adieu to scenes like these, An icy chill sends through the breast, Devoids the soul of wonted ease. And springs a fountain of unrest. Though we would gladly longer stay And pluck life's daisies dipt in dew, Stern duty beckons us away, And at her bidding now adieu. Woodlands and other Rhy mes. 37 To a Young Lady. Thine is loveliness, sweet maiden, 'Winsome with the smiles of love, lair and fragrant, lily laden, Meek and loyal as a dove— Like the sunset in a river, bright with beauty from above. Fairer than the sun's collection Are the softer shades entwined, Shades of budding sweet affection. In the labrynths of your mind ; Still unfolding ever sweeter with a beauty more refined. Beaming ever brighter, rarer. In the sparkle of an eye, In the dewy lips, and fairer In a brow and cheeks that vie With the blending of the rosebud and the lily blooming nigh. Fairer still in the ideal. With a purpose understood Ever this to render real For the universal good, Wil.- .je thronging aspirations of a budding womanhood. 38 Woodlands and other Rhymes. In the sunshine of such beauty 'Twere felicity to dwell : Love would never be a duty When life aspirations well With a flood of fairer visions ever wrought by magic spell. Theme like this is seldom given For the muse's sweetest strain, Shadows of a fairer heaven Flitting pass and cross again, Somewhere in the mellow distance joys ideal still remain. Voices of an echo quiver From a fairy calm domain : " Fancies beautiful will sever Thought from pain's intenser strain, But dispel the empty visions with the passing of the pain." Somewhere hidden in the viewless Deeps of fantasy unknown, Ghostly phantoms, shapeless, hueless Whisper of a something flown, Of a beauty that is vanished, and a glory that is gone. Like, as, in the dewy meadows I have heard a single strain Floating in the centre shadows Of the night, a sweet refrain Flowing from the fairest fancies of a day-bird's dreaming brain, I \ Woodlands and other Rhymes. So, amid the deepest sadness, Mellow music sometimes swells In a single burst of gladness From assurance sweet that tells Of a beautiful forever, and a glory that excels. 39 Truly, earth is full of gladness : Warbles from a balmy grove, Lullabies of plaintive sadness Melodies diviner prove, Brighter beauties, finer fancies, of an all embracing love. Beauty fades, for all must perish Painted on this mortal scroll ; Yet this sweet expression cherish Of the Universal Whole. But a lasting form of beauty is the beauty of the soul. 40 Woodlands and other Rhymes. Naomha, Naomha, Naomha. (Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty). Naomha, naomha, naomha, Dhia uile neartmhor ! Ceolmhor moch ar n'orain ad' ionnsuidh eiridh caomh ; Naomha, naomha, naomha, trocairach is treunmhor, Dia an thri pearsa, Trianaid shona naomh. Naomha, naomha, naomha, duile naoimh ag aoradh, Tilgal sios an crunan or mu'n mhuir do ghloine fior, Chi. jh'Tf 's seraphim tuiteam sios 'ad lathair, A b. a ta, 'as maireannach gu sior. Naomha, naomha, naomha, ged tha sgail gad fhalach, Ged nach faic ar suilean daoi do glor a ta ro ard, Thusa mhain tha nao.nha, cha'n eil aon neach eile Coimhliont' an cumhachd, an gloine gne is gradh. Naomha, naomha, naomha, Dia uile neartmhor ' D'obair uile molaidh thu an athair, muir is raon ; Naomha, naomha, naomha, trocairach is treunmhor, Dia an thri pearsa, Trianaid shona naomh A CHRIOCH, ;i^.- \ \ 1i lor ! ih caomh ; imhor, 3radh, line fior, fhalach, > ard, eile jradh. r' raon ; imhor, f i.4