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I I HUNTER, ROSE & COMPANY. | i ^"*- j i BP"5HSeH5»^ W^ ^ ^ (U. ^u^) Aiv Jyvx ^ A "/) ^..^..A^ yM ^^ -^ //Z ^ MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Maple Underwood; RUDELY CUT BY A YOUTHFUL BEAVEE. A COLLECTION OF INFANT VERSE. FY JAMES A. M^GOWA]^. HUNTER, ROSE & COMPANY, 1884. 71090 Entered ««ordang to the Act of the Pwliament of C.n*i. i„ tk, thou«™d eight hundred «.d eightyfour, by Ja^^ a M^r """ "" the Office of the Minirter of AgrionUure MoSowah, in PRINTKD BT HUSTER, ROSE & CO. TOKONTO. INTRODUCTION. ^ear one WAN, in A BABE must lisp before it talks ; And likewise creep before it walks : And when it first aspiring stands, Its parent leads it by the hands, And smiles approving in its face, Although its steps are void of grace. Upon these infant steps of verse, Pray, do not Nature's law inverse. A laughing babe will frowns remove ; An infant's words do oft reprove ; Reader ! peruse with parent's ken. The effusions of this puerile pen. ^ _ JAS. A. McGOWAN. Blyth, July, 1884. CONTENTS. Alone Shaking of Hands A Summer Morn Unassuming Light and shade - Hope Waiting - Lost Supernal Solitude Cleavage - Under Mask Ruth (Sonnet) - A Rural Reverie Sleep (Sonnet) - To a Nameless Stream The Heart's Best Impulse Guard Beauty's Fountain Frosty Frolic . . - Longfellow (Sonnet) Bobbie Burns - - - To R. S. - - - Mourning and Weeping Death - - - - Winter Life (Sonnet) The Nativity The Sabbath Growing Old . . - Life . - - - Earthly Fetters - Lines on the Death of a Little Girl Hymn - - - - Sunset - - - Ina ; or, a Maiden's Artilico A Farmer^s Artifice Life's Seesaw - - - Before Quebec (1769) - Fearless - - - • PAOB. - » . 10 - 11 . 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 17 - IS - Ifi - 20 • 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 20 - 27 - 27 - 28 - 28 - 30 - 30 - 31 - 32 . 33 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 46 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 51 - 61 'I, I Vlll Winter's reign (Sonnet) Sunshine (Sonnet) Anger Closing Autumn ] i^iscontent After Sunset Funeral Procession ! In Lines To An Infant " lo ■ — - Paradise Below . I Enmity - Finale - CONTENTS. PAGE. - 52 - 53 - 54 - 54 - 56 - 55 - 56 • 57 • 57 58 59 60 61 ij PAOB. - 52 - 53 - 54 - 54 - 55 - 55 - 56 - 57 - 57 - 58 - 59 - 60 - 61 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. ALONE. Seated upon a mossy mound ; Silence reigns over all profound ; I lift my eyes and gaze around ; Where'er I gaze no form I see, Of kindred-souled humanity ; I shout, no answer comes to me ; I am alone. I view the works of Nature vast, Which stand the rage of wintry blast, In grandeur round me fitly cast. How from the tiny seed they grew, Nourished by genial drops of dew, Upward their course they did pui-sue, I meditate. Am not alone. ; i I pass into a friendly dome ; Take liberty to widely roam. As if 'twere my parental home. No sound of footsteps do I hear ; No merry laughter strikes the ear ; I search, no person doth appear ; I am alone. 10 '< i MAPLE UNDERWOOD. I lift some books as they were mine. And on a sofa I recline, With pleasure read line after line ; 1 hold sweet converse with each page, I talk with a departed sage. And live as in a by-gone age, Here I am not alone. Amid the city's throng I stand, With young and old on every hand, Each passing countenance I've scanned, But all are new, not one I know, I wander idly to and fro, In loneliness demure, ergo. Alone, yet not alone. " 1!^ ij " SHAKING OF HANDS." There's a shaking of hands that is distant and cold, Where the palms scarcely touch and the fingers ne'er fold ; Where the eyes do not meet and the heart bears no strain ; Such shaking of hands is formal and vain. There's a shaking of hands called the pump-handle shake ; Where you jerk and you pull till your arms almost break, The heart is excited, but with low hidden moans ; Such shaking of hands is a shaking of bones. There's a shaking of hands, a free friendly grasp. Where the palms are close pressed and the fingers en- clasp, Where the eyes meekly meet, truthful smiles light the face; Such shaking of hands is a Christian grace. I I A SUMMER MORN. 11 There's a shaking of hands where the lips sweetly press, And the eyes speak in love language cannot express, Where the heart thus enamoured its feeling imparts ; Such shakinor of hands is a shaking of hearts. True shaking of hands implies more than the name ; The heart'^ fire is shaken and heightened love's flame, Which from beauty's window in radiance doth shine ; Thus in shaking of hands there is something divine. A SUMMER MORN. Thy voice — a freshning tone — Breaks soft and charming on the ear of morn ; When darkness from the dreary earth has flown, And a new day is born. Florid the morning sky ; Fair and eftulgent the first face of day ; How gorgeous doth the verdant landscape lie In thine enchanting ray. This smile of infant day Doth from the face of earth all gloom displace ; And her fair children are allured away From slumb'ring night's embrace. Fresh is the breath of morn While diamond drops hang on the opening bloom ; And on the gentle breeze is lightly borne The day's most sweet perfume. Slowly ascends the sun, And slowly yields the dew-drops to his sway ; The longer they his regnant power do shine, More beautiful the day. m 12 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Thus in the mom of life Joys in profusion hang upon the soul ; Anon the veil that hides the noon-day strife Is lifted from life's goal. Lengthen this power of worth That shed's into life's afternoon its love ; The veil that clothes our earlier years in mirth Do not too soon remove. UNA.SSUMING. The little stream that gently glides ' Before the farm-house door, Doth yield a silent influence On the surrounding shore ; Without a name, unknown to fame, Yet priceless is its store. Unlike a watch you needs must wind, Or 'twill refuse to go. When once they are in motion set, Continuous is their flow ; A generous giver, the silent river, Which wealth untold bestow. Let one Niagara suffice To show the Almighty's power. But quiet flowing rivulets To man are richer dower ; Bearing their worth throughout the earth, A genial ceaseless shower. Thousands doth every clime require Of peaceful flowing rills, \^i \h-\\ rth *t LIGHT AND SHADE. That garden plot and meadow land. With smiling beauty fills ; Turning the wheel to grind the meal, Within the busy mills. So do the lives of simple men, Who day by day pursue The virtuous course which quiet glides, With humble aim in view ; Thus nobly strive and make to thrive, The seed which feeble grew. It is not from the flaming stake Much good is to be done, It is not by the martyr's deeds That souls are to be won ; But by the grace shed in the race. By lives in silence run. 13 LIGHT AND SHADE. How beautiful this bright and glorious sphere. Where we inhale earth's fresh life-giving air ; And quafi" her sparkling waters pure and clear. And from her bosom nutriment prepare. Over each life doth light and shadow steal, Storm clouds arise enwrapping us in gloom, Heaven's bright sun One power can but conceal, Life's light is hidden only by tlie tomb. Behind life's clouds, the light of love doth shine. Printing its edge with a bright golden glare. When they evanish, flit by power divine. Our sky appears more beautiful and fair. w 14 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Why call this smiling land a vale of tears, With love implanted in the inmost soul, Which power is capable to banish fears, O'er viler passions to command control. Love thine own life — the gladness of the hear Perform thy duty with a noble hand, Bid sorrows from thy bosom e'er depart. That Heaven's cheerful light thy soul expand HOPE. Gloomy and dark the night, I fain would seek repose ; My weary e3'^elids close. And life's rough journeys slight. For rugged ways consume With haste ten-fold, Life's limited supply. When shines no light To guide life's steps aright, O'er obstacles that lie On life's path manifold. Is there no meteor light. Nothing to cheer the sight ? Was'c not the moon arose, Why quenched his argent light Closed but by fleeting cloud. Cheer up my soul ! 'Tis not a burial shroud. Bright shone her face. She is not dead. The veil is o'er her grace But transitory spread, I yet shall reach the goal Though weary now my tread. ji ii ' iii HH twIiwOWMI WAITINCJ. Depart thou fiend — Despair, For through the gloom I see a feeble glare Which shall my path illume, Slowly it peereth forth Like birdling from its shell, And soareth o'er the earth, Dread darkness to dispel. 15 WAITING. The tear-diramed eye of the careworn, Peers through the window of life Into the deepening darkness, With seeming sorrows rife. Why stand thou thus at the window, While the night air bloweth chill. And stealeth under the casement. And over the window sill. Why peer into the darkness, Where thou canst naught discern. As if thy anxious longing Could make the light return. Go sit thee by the fireside, And if it burneth low. Add fuel to the embers, That it may brighter glow. Drink of the warmth it giveth. And gaze upon its light. That it may infuse thee with vigour, And dispel the gloom of night. 16 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. And when thou art tired of dreaming, Choose a volume from the shelf, And in thoughtful meditation, Read, and improve thyself. And when thy mind is feasted And heavy grow thy eyes. Repair unto thy chamber, Sleep till the sun doth rise. For why shouldst thou stand there waiting, Leaving other things undone. And wholly unfit for thy duty At the rising of the sun. '/ 111 iiiiiii LOST. Mark the setting of the sun. View his waning light : Now another day is done. Now another cycle run, Count thy actions, one by one, Woe to thee if there is none Worthy of thy might ! Leave the page an idle space. Canst thou none recall : Retrograde its silent face. Stamp of a remiss disgrace, As it bears no line nor trace. Thou canst ne'er its words erase ; Death's sad funeral pall. 1 ] ] f s rnasas^'sff-' ■BE#~;;^ SUPERNAL SOLITUDE. For that day is dead to thee Void of life or light ; Banish its impurity, Veil it in obscurity, Not so Heaven's decree. In the great Eternity It will meet thy sight. Though to sin thou art a slave, Thou art not undone : Though this stigma doth deprave. Thine in Freedom's fount to lave. For the dead when in their grave, Often are a power to save ; Mark the rising sun. 17 SUPERNAL SOLITUDE. The leaves of summer in their youthful pride Do clap their hands in very joyousness. Extending invitations thus around. Unto a travelling troop of floating song, Free choristers, upon the rustic stage, Bedecked with Nature in true loveliness ; Its canopy, the dome cerulean ; Its terrene floor spread with a carpeting Of verdant moss inlaid with quiet fern And graceful maiden hair, relieved by the Sweet flowerets georgeously arrayed in all The pristine pride of woodland loveliness ; From such a pillared throne the feathered choir, Carol their sweetest lays to all beneath. Their song is ended and an unseen hand Lets fall the lowering shade of eve. Nature's Timed curtain, and on airy wing departs This buoyant covey from their burden freed, 18 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. I ! To seek repose and their sweet pipes retime, A mission theirs of love. To him who lists There floats a soothing balm into his soul, And the delicious sweetness doth enwrap In folds oblivious his suspended care. Nature accosts him now in luring tones, While she beholds this transitory beam Upon his brow. He looks above him and Beholds the throne of melody, the seat Of happiness free from all base alloy, "Which thrilled his soul with her ecstatic lay. He looks beneath him at the placid rill, Meandering through the lily tufted domes. Pouring its draught essential to the soil, Which doth the boon repay by its glad smiles. Cheering the waters as they course along. This their sole recompense, complaning not But smiling as they flow, discoursing day And night in laughing tones ne'er somnolent, Untroubled, unrequited and unfamed. He looks around him at the giant trees With coppice interspersed and various grades Between, and seedlings shooting from the soil Beneath the mighty form which gave them birth, And spreads her golden dust upon the earth To thrill with life her risn j- progeny. Though broad the expanse ot woodland towering high, Its bonds cannot confine aspiring thought. From seen to unseen save in pictured dream. From works, unto the Author of those works, To lands Elysian doth he turn his gaze ; Recounting changes he must undergo Ere he can enter the empyrean realm . , Of happiness the eternal blest abode. While thus he meditates, he sits him down Upon a dead tree trunk, while rests his feet Upon a mouldering mass, his back against CLEAVAGE. 19 A tree with life invigorate, though fret With death, as what beneath him proves, And now He nature's teaching doth apply, and this The strain of his soliloquy. I am This living tree, but by the hand of Time And gust of death shall I be felled, and shall Lie prostrate wheresoe'er I chance to be. And moulder into dust from which I sprung. Bearing no semblance of my former self Like to the heap reposing at my feet. Nor can I death escape, earth claims her own, Nor will she be defrauded of her dues. Unlike in this, that by a hand Divine A seed of everlasting has been sown, And like the earth He shall His own recall. Unless the briar and thorn has choked its growth. Thou precious seed of an eternal bloom Who will not guard and watch with tenderest care Thy certain growth, must be already dead, Dead unto all that maketh life of life. CLEAVAGE. A Tiny seed now floats upon the air ; From yonder parent tree 'twas useless flung, Though not in scorn, but that it might repair Unto its home the mountain crags among, From such itself in former years had sprung, Spreading of late its seedlings far and wide Which it to full maturity had brung, Beholding where the rocks had homes supplied, Awaiting to receive the seedling as its bride. 20 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Within a crevice of a giant stone The guiding breeze knew her appointed rest; Though far removed, yet she is not alone, For now she sleepeth on her bridegroom's breast : Soon he awakes her, and doth her invest With power to sink her rootlets in scant sod, And rise exultant making manifest The hand omnii)otent of Nature's God, Who sheds his waking light and genial showers abroad. Down in the tiny crevice it doth send Its tender roots which yearly doth expand, A hair-breadth at a time, and thus distend The towering mass that did for ages stand. Unthinking that this germ like grain of sand Should thus lay open tons of mighty rock. Widening each year the breach at its command, Until a factor huge it did unlock, And dash on lowest crags with mimic earthquakes' shock. Do not despise the tiivial things of life, For oft are they a power of wondrous might ; Severed are adamantine bands of strife By seeds of love, nurtured by Heaven's light, Speedy in growth and sanguine in its right, Where is the heart that has not felt its power, And found it vain thy potency to slight. Though trivial deemed, yet Heaven's richest dower O'er which he sheds profuse his best benignant shower. UNDER MASK. The lowering cloud that hides the sun And overcasts the azure sky, That cloud is charged with liquid drops, Reviving earth with its supply. 1 , . SONNET. 21 ist : Thus trials and afflictions oft, Are blessings under mask concealed, Could mortal man the veil uplift, And drink his future life revealed. Lbroad. They may life's course forever turn, Alay guide us where we else would shun ; And though the cross seems hard to bear, Yet calmly say, " Thy will be done." For He wlio formed this glorious earth, And holds it to obey His law ; Can He not sanctify our grief. And from our trials blessinirs draw. 1, s* shock. SONNET. RUTH. er hower. Over the golden grain the sun of mom Shedding his warming rays, the dews displace, So that the reapers may the sheaves embrace, When from the stalks by the sharp sickles shorn. And to the ground in proud submission borne. A voice is lifted thus, " May I go to that place, And follow him in whose sight find I grace. From mid the sheaves to glean the scattered corn.'* Naomi unto Ruth said, " Yea forsooth," And though no cloud was in the sky to guide ; The God who led the Israelites unseen, Unto the field of Boaz, led He Ruth, Where by his kindness she was well supplied. And from the dauijhters of tlie land he Ruth did j^lean. iW 22 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. I ! iiii 'ililM It in 111 i!'; I till A RURAL REVERIE. In each and every season, much alone, Through Nature's home I've strayed ; Musing upon the wood's low monotone, Or sylvan scenes surveyed. ^ The voices of the woods are wondrous sweet, Whisp'ring of love untold ; The laughing streamlet purling at my feet. Each day new thoughts unfold. On mossy knolls so delicately deckt, With many a woodland smile, u Oft I reclined in silence to reflect, And the slow hour beguile. From such a knoll, my eye I turned to gaze Upon the winding stream, Whose rippling waters bathed in golden rays. Did with refulgence gleam. I viewed its glassj'^ surface lying at rest, With sunlight glinting o'er, And now beheld beneath its crystal crest The slimy, sedgy floor. There spanned this stream a causeway "rough and rude, By Time and Nature fraught. O'er which I wandered in this pensive mood, Enwrapped in varied thought. Huge trunks of trees long since the forest pride, Lying prostrate, useful found ; They for long years the potent blast defied, ^ Age bore them to the ground, SLEEP. Thus must frail man, when senile years reflect. His wonted place forego ; Yet still can he his faltering steps direct, And gifts on man bestow. The heart of man that is of woman born. This stream doth typify. When of its outward glitter blandly shorn, Its depth shews darker dye. When wind of Pleasure flaps its golden wings, And stirs the secret soul ; The gleam, that love over its surface flings, From out the eye doth roll. But when the wind of Pleasure stays her flight ; Or seeks another clime; Deep in the heart bathed in its natural light. Is seen the noxious slime. And o'er each heart is strung a bridge of sighs, As Time his course doth roll ; But when the freshet of Life's Spring doth rise, 'Tis borne beyond the soul. 23 SLEEP. Upon my weary couch I lie me down, The toil and turmoil of the day to drown : The blinds are drawn and closed my chamber door: A few soft silver beams flit o'er the floor, Clasping my eyelids with their silver hasp, The outer world excluding by their grasp ; Wrapt in oblivion blank the darksome Past ; The Present in disguise is fleeting fast ; Bsassassss 24 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. i :'! lit '.! '111 !|li! ;i i ii im Forth comes the Future riding on the breeze ; When, from the East, Sol's melting rays increase, As bands of ice diffuse each silver clasp. Severed in twain as with an iron rasp : Oblivion's folds thrown open, and anew Alternate light and shade till death pursue. TO A NAMELESS STREAM. Whence comest thou, and whither going, Or wanderest thou along unknowing, Gathering strength as onward flowing ? Nearing the river. Thy fountain head its waters throwing Continuous ever. From fountain onward persevering, Though loft hills ahead appearing, Standing not idly, looking, fearing, Where you can't climb ; But round their base triumphant veering In moment's time. Thou hast between these banks been straying, And kindest Nature's law obeying. And thirst of beast and plant allaying, Unnumbered years ; But not a vestige of decaying As yet appears. Although thou art thy duty doing, And thy appointed course pursuing, A cold unfeeling world is viewing Thy generous worth ; Nameless thou roUest on renewing The life of earth. l=;i|! THE HEARTS BEST IMPULSE. Thy lowly waters forward reaching, Are unto me a lesson teaching, Impressive more than learned preaching, Our high behest ; As in thy ceaseless flow beseeching Duty, no rest. A pattern is thy generous giving, Freely bestowing, naught receiving, And little of thine own retrieving. As years do roll : A work of love art thou achievinor O'er men of soul. 25 THE HEART'S BEST IMPULSE. There dwells a passion in the human soul, When once excited, stands above control. Both rich and poor its fascination feel. Though oft the wealthy must its throes conceal, For she who kindled in his breast the fire Is but the daughter of a humble sire ; Between two fortunes now must be his choice, The smiling face that makes his heart rejoice. The loving glances her dark eyes return, That made the passion in his soul to burn ; Or the vain pomp that cumbrous wealth unfold. The seeming [)leasure purchas; i»"' day I quaff but ne'er can drink it dry. itmi TO R. S. 29 ROBBIE BURNS. With hands of toil guiding the faithful plow, Upturning soil with power invig'rate fraught, While hands unseen within thy youthful brow, With Muse's share upturns the generous thought. Nature devout thy elevating theme, Grandly inspiring thy soul-stirring strain : Stopping afield for reverie, thy team. On mouse and flower to lift the glad refrain. In melting language of inspiring weal, To aspirations high above the sod. From Nature's store true pathos to reveal, " Looking from Nature up to Nature's God." Far from the confines of thine isle have flown, Thy plowboy's songs of Nature grand and deep ; Thy verse, Immortal Bums, shall e'er be known. Through the long age of Time's majestic sweep. Full many a weary heart by thee is cheered. Though the cold tomb thy ashes doth confine: Thy name in Scottish households is revered, They bow adoring at thy Muse's shrine. TO R. S- Thoq art a poet born indeed. And truly you deserve a meed, For service done ; The world is much improved by thee, Thou liv'st in many a memory, Ontario's glorious son 1 30 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. When thy " New Christian Hymns," I read, Although no idle tear I shed, Yet I was moved; As my emotion past restraint, Upon the air broke soft and faint, It merry laughter proved. ■III! iill.i !li' MOURNING AND WEEPING. When the angel of death bears a spirit away. And friends gather round the inanimate clay, From the visage of Death dejected they turn, For what does the spirit of extancy mourn ? It mourns for itself in its desolate state, But Time in due course new friends will create. It mourns when it thinks of its own fading day, But then cometh glories that never decay. It mourneth for others bereft of their friend. But our Heavenly Father will His mercies extend. It mourns for the dead as a form of respect. For such inly mourn, silent solemnity, sadness reflect. Weep for the living when wayward they tread. Weep for the dying, but not for the dead, For thou canst not turn the spirit that's flown Weep for the living and the dying alone. DEATH. Behold the city of the dead. With sculptured shafts above each head. Pause, read ! DEATH. 31 id, 1. te. ay, :tend. 3 reflect, ad, a And let thy mind onr, thought embrace, To this, the destiny of our race, Give heed. What means the sliort and narrow mound, I find in every burial ground, Does death Pluck the unopened bud from earth. And ere this life expands their worth. Stays breath. Truly such lives are not in vain, Some secret soul has drawn a sain From this ; The mission of that life is death. And all who view the parting breath, Drink bliss. 'Graved on an epitaphic stone, " Infants and agdd not alone Do die, Here high-born youth in manly pride, Snatched from earth's joys and a young bride, Awaiting lie." Unlike the butterfly is man. Although this life is but a span, At best ; The span doth vary in its length, Society by this holds strength. Thus blest. Let this death thought a lesson teach, Prepare that heavenly goal to reach, Old, young ; Death's angel on seraphic wing, Hovereth near thy soul to bring The dead, among. 32 MAPLE UNDKRWOOD. SONNET. i: r WINTER LIFE. The germs of life, now wrapt in burial shroud Spotless and perfect, broad in its expanse, Their former glory iitly to enhance ; In summer's verdant hue, how gaily proud, The sun's warm smile withdrawn, then thou wert bowed With withering grief, being powerless to advance ; Though changed, not dead, but in lethargic trance ; Save by reviving smile, life's re-endowed. With feelings of remorse the sun looks down. The evil to revert which he has wrought. The shroud uplifts and breathes a wakening song. Removing every semblance of a frown ; Compared with foimer glory, lacking naught. Thus, man with smiles, may many lives ])rolong. THE NATIVITY. In the eastern sky a star Sheddeth far its lustre bright, Guiding wise men from afar, 'Tis the Saviour's acolyte. In the air there floats a song. To the shepherds on the plain. Light from the angelic throng, Shows the source of the refrain. " Tidings good I bring to earth, Joy unto the nations all, 'Tis of Christ, the Saviour's birth, Bom to save and not inthral. THE SABBATH. Who to thee this day is horn, David's City walls within, Promised since earth's early morn, He, the antidote for sin. Unto thee I give a sign, Seeing thou art sore afraid, Thou wilt find the bahe Divine, In a manger lowly laid." Thus the angel spake, and then, Round him sang a heavenly host, " Peace on earth, good will to men, Glory to the Holy Ghost." 93 THE SABBATH. I HEAR the rippling of the rill. The gentle bi-eeze is sighing still ; The birds are singing in the grove ; The bees are humming as they rove ; The chatter of the squirrel I hear; The cock's shrill clarion strikes the ear : The voice of nature is not stilled, But pealeth forth a pleasing sound, No din of labour from the ground, With holy calm the air is filled. I hear the sound of Sabbath bell, Re-echo over hill and dell, The solemn sound wakes solemn thought. With holy aspirations fraught ; Thousands throughout the land repair, Unto the house of sacred prayer. r:= 34 y.APLE UNDERWOOD. !!:i, I 'i; iii Where they, their Father's name extol, And Sabbath after Sabbath raise The voice to Him in sacred praise, And balm is poured on every soul. Displeased is Heaven's God, to see Man carnalize ability ; He breaks upon the world of care, And plants His Holy Sabbath there ; It is His gift to man alone, To bring him nearer to His throne. Boon which makes nations truly blest. Day of the seven most calm, most bright, Casting into the week thy light. We hail thy sanctity and rest. GROWING OLD. Time soareth onward in his ceaseless course. Conveying all from youth upon his wing; Thus bearing onward slowly yields life's force. The flight of time eternity doth bring. Year after year, as we pursue our flight, N earing the realm that bids eternal rest, Do we perceive a silent creeping blight. Our youthful natures powerfully invest. Upon the stately brow Time's mark is wrought, The sprightly step becomes more staid and slow ; The mind with one dark dream is inly fraught. The eye grows dim, the voice becometh low. If we in wisdom's paths our footsteps guide, And cull from poesy the beauteous Sower ; ' Extract from study depth of charms implied. Youth sways the mind though wanes corporeal power. LIFE. 35 Though by the gentle zephyrs softly fanned, Yet such will not preserve us in our bloom. Youth must submit to Nature's stem command We all are verging on the silent tomb. LIFE. An ocean diverging, Where light skirts emerging, Are peacefully gliding, While laved is their side By the low, brackish tide, O'er which they are riding, The waters dividing In jubilant pride. 4 Viewing closer again The young billowy main, I see a small craft, A rickety raft. Just pushed from the shore, In a moment, no more. The inflowing tide Has covered it o'er, And dashed it aside, 'Gainst the rough, rocky shore, And its infantine freight Has yielded to Fate, To save is too late, Its voyage is o'er : Through the waves' broken crest It has sunken to rest, Life knows it no more. IIJHJHJIM .lUHK MMillMl li ! 80 MAPLE UNDKUWOOD. ■ill! 1 1; Mil ill^ "''ii I see a green isle, A bright ocean smile, One league and a score From this bounteous shore. There those light skiffs are flying. With measured beat plying Each delicate oar ; But the billows uprising, Are ever apprising The crafts the most frail, While those which are stronger Oft weather it longer. Yet the violent gale, So rudely assailing, Oft o'er them prevailing. Their strength is in vain 'Gainst the potentate main ; And of all who set sailing. But one-half alone To this fair isle hath flown : From which they do launch In vessels more staunch, O'er the ocean old, / But yet uncontrolled, Leagues nine and three score, To its furthermost shore. Spread with sands of gold. On a silver shore. At ten leagues less It is hard of access. And few are the vessels that make ingress. But the voyage of life oft numbers more, Some having of force ' . A goodly store. Lengthen their course By an outward veer. And in a direction circuitous steer. i 1 m UFE. From entity's entrance, The eye explores, Through the dim distance Enchanting shores; Oft unheard the billow that roars In stern resistance The space between ; Allured by the prize Before their eyes, Unthinking of what doth intervene, Till all unseen Doth their bark careen ; Engulfed perchance In the raging deep, With look askance As they sink to sleep ; Sighing in despair At their heedless haste, And lack of care Which their bark displaced. At a few leagues more Than exact three score From entity's shore Lies a whirlpool, Death, All red with gore. Draw your breath And mount the tide ; If beyond its roar You in triumph ride, Th}'- chance is fair For the golden shore. But with greatest care You must ply the oar ; Of the rocks beware That lie hidden there ; 37 '■^ 88 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. For hidden rocks Do now abound, And little shocks Thy bark will ground ; For thy timbers now Are growing unsound, And you must plow The treacherous deep With easy prow, And slowly creep Or humbly bow And sink to sleep. Where the heavy surge Doth each bark emerge, On the tide doth rise, Hid to mortal eyes, A phantom skiff. Which onward flies Though the gale be stiff, To its destined goal — the boundless sea- Which beareth the name " Eternity." III! EARTHLY FETTERS. Those in Christian lands, thank God, Born beneath a Christian roof, Chastened with a Christian rod. Fraught with Christian reproof ; Thine shouldst be a Christian name Blazoned with a Christian flame. Oft this luring mundane sphere Fastens such with myriad bands ; Still this faith thou must revere, Severed not by human hands. LINES ON THE DEATH OF A LITTLE GIRL. Feeds this seed bv Heaven sown, Bursts these bands when deeper grown. And its branches bearing high Blossom and yield seed of worth, Borne by breezes through the sky, Far from the chill frost of earth To the garden of our God, To that ever blooming sod. There beneath a Saviour's smile And His argent dew of grace, In that land of pure delight. Marked by no imperfect trace, It shall in profusion bloom. And a perfect form assume. But 'tis sweet with cares unknown, Here to glance and journey on To our blessed Saviour's throne. Ere the earthly fetters dawn. Lift the mind from holy things, Clipping short the spirit's wings. 39 LINES ON THE DEATH OF A LITTLE GIRL. Life is uncertain, death a certain thing, Not to the old alone, for manhood's prime, And those in early bloom do feel his sting, For death to us has no appointed time. When least expected, we his voice discern, Naught can withstand the mandate of our God; He claims His own, dust doth to dust return ; Humbly submit and bow beneath His rod. mss i I 40 MAPLE UNEEIIWOOD. The flowers of earth He claimeth as His own, Earth's sweetest flowers, bursting in maiden bloom, One such he now has called to grace and his throne, Who with her song shall mingle sweet perfume. Tis hard to part with those we call our own, Hard to entomb and ne'er a tear to shed ; We are more blest, when most we feel alone, Our Saviour mourneth with us o'er the dead. And He is touched when He doth see thee mourn, And He is nearer to thee in that hour When thou of all thy human strength art shorn ; Yet 'tis His will. He needs must have thy flower. After the cloud, the sun doth brighter shine ; And 'tis by grief that heartfelt joy is won ; In sorrow, therefore, view the hand Divine, Read what it writes and say, " Thy will be done." HYMN. Lord Thou art on high. While I am below, And nothing kno.v I, For Thou all dost know. ! Thou gavest me life, This life doth renew ; Still I am at strife. What more canst Thou do. Yes, more hast Thou done For me Thou hast bled, The crucified One Thou died in my stead. SUNSET. . :,. That I might not die. But live ever with Thee, In Thy kingdom on high, Through Eternity. And Thy only request, Is to simply believe, And joy manifest, I shall freely receive. I thank Thee, O Lord, I extol Thy great name. Though my life don't accord, With the light of Thy flame. 41 SUNSET. I TURNED to the west at set of sun. And watched that orb decline, I thought of the speck that hid it. Though it still did as brightly shine. I thought of its mighty splendour, And of its unequalled size, And how this terrene atom. Doth such an orb disguise. I turned to the west at set of sun, And watched that orb decline, I thought of the speck that hid it ; I thought of this heart of mine. I thought how the Son of Heaven, Doth shine my heart within ; But often, oh, how often Is He hid by this world of sin. r.w^ 42 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. I thought of His sovereign splendour, And of His unequalled might, And how sin intervening Keeps such a power from sight. I turned to the west at set of sun, And watched that orb decline, I thor,;j^' '^ th3 speck that hid it, I thouofhi of a law Divine. TNA, A AO T>FN '!TTFICE. ^ : ! It is the glad hour of noon, the hour, of the day most absorbing, When ceases the weary turmoil, to increase the essence of being, And new strength recall, else the task of the day re- linquish. Which thing ne'er shall be in this prosperous Canadian village Sited where once the red deer ceased bounding over the forest. And rested his graceful form 'neath the shade of the maple expanding, Whose leaf, the emblem and pride of this free glorious nation. Long since the axes of white men hewed them out homes in the forest, And this village upreared in the midst of their new habitation, INA, OR A maiden's ARTIFICE. 43 And where in pristine beauty the maple and elm shot upwara, Such implanted by man with ornamental arraying Bathed in morn's golden light to the gazing eye looks resplendent ; And from the sun's lurid glare protects the mid-day pedestrian, Who his task must perform, the stern voice of duty obeying. Alone upon a grotesque and rustical form of the cedar, Under a temple of maple, one, Ina, intently sits reading ; While from behind there approacheth the form of an amorous stripling, Quiet and unassuming, though he holds deep love in his bosom ; Till the present felt powerless his love to make known unto Ina, Alas, its untimely arrival for now has he been superseded ! He stealthily forward advances and standeth idly beside her; Ina, her eyes ne'er upraising, pronounces with angelic sweetness • The name unto her most impressive, Eugene was the name that she uttered ; Her hazel eyes then uplifting, caught sight of the face there beside her. And over her rosy cheek a deeper dye so^.n diffuseth. The youth who was standing beside her, the name of Wilber Kyle bearing, The blush on her cheek quickly noted, and from this and the name which she uttered Surmised the import expressed, and sank to the ground deep bewailing, Hope's buds bursting in bloom now lying upon the ground blighted. 44 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. 1? Perchance some forthcoming season new hopes may re- vive in his bosom, And cause to expand in their splendour buds such as now lie here blighted. Ina, with heart of a maiden now knowing the love that he bore her, Down on the ground sat beside him, and in his ear sooth- ing words whispered, Told him how she still loved him, and how she should love him forever. But that his manner of wooing seemed not in the order of winning. Openly Eugene had loved her but long time had she de- layed him. Trusting that in the meantime her lirst-love his heart would lay open, But growing weary in waiting her love to him had grown fainter, And deeper had grown to Eugene to whom her heart she had proffered. But as I told you before, 1 repeat it again, I still love thee, But I can never be thine as I am betrothed to another, Ever am I thy friend but more than this, say I, never ; Wilber the truest of friends consider me only as such, Pray nothing unto it add nor take from it nothing away, In me can thy destiny ne'er be but ever a friend to confide in. This said, her hand she extended, his quivering hand tightly grasping. Her touch with new power instilled him and his head from the ground he uplifted. And soon to his feet had arisen and disappeared in the distance. Ina, who closely surveyed him, his mien love bewildered had noted, INA. OR A MAIDENS ARTIIICE. 45 And touched was the heart of the maiden as she gazed on the face of the stripling, And when he was lost in the maples, upon the ground she sank weeping, Her book on the ground lay beside her the breeze of summer bestirring, Keeping time with the low, monotone that her ruby lips faintly uttered, Which softly broke on the ear of the manly form at the entrance, With visage all lit with smiles by the loving heart in his bosom ; He paused, then forward advances to his wonted seat in the maples, Astounded he stands for a moment with his lips pressed tightly together, Then gently uplifts his affianced and resteth her head on his bosom. And requests her to quickly displace from her hazel eyes the effusion That freely from a heart flows with tenderness deeply impregnate, Tenderness which is sublime, and which every maiden should cherish But this is no time for thy weeping, and thy chamber the place for thy sighing. Perchance 'tis a feeling of joy that calls forth tender emotions, For thou art in many ways blest, kind Heaven on thee smiles benignly. Expound thy heart unto me that we may thy sorrow co- mingle. Two heads are better than one and two hearts when one grief they divide, Lays a lesser strain upon each, full often completely dis- pelling. 46 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Then glancing down Ina beheld the book she was lately perusing, And unto Eugene she told the tale she had lately been reading ; The tale of a prodigal son who his father's home had forsaken, With convivial companions co-mingled till vice to penury brought him, And homeless and friendless he wandered exhoiting kind death to relieve him From his state of unutterable anguish devoid of a ray of life's sunshine. Disconsolate one day he sat in a village inn to the north- ward. Where glancing over a Daily, that was lying idly beside him, When attracted his notice the words : " The Annual Thanksgiving-Day, By the Gov.-Gen/s command shall on November the ninth be observed." And then receded his thoughts to the past in oblivion dying, To where round his father's board on this festival occa- sion were gathered The family circle unbroken, but long had been a link missing; Thus did he detract from their pleasure and their wonted happiness mar, Resolved his steps to retrace and his father's forgiveness implore : With gladness was he received, all joyfully welcomed him home. With hearts filled with thanksgiving wept o'er a son and a brother long lost. A FARMERS ARTIFICE. 47 Bom into their circle anew, sweet was the re-union of hearts On that memorable Thaaksgiving Day, on which Hea- ven lost blessings restored. These words in my mind did recall the face of a kins- man of mine. For many years absent, from whom no tidings were ever received, I thought how perchance he might now in ' durance vile,' be confined ; No angel form to minister and death into life transform. These bodings of what might be, of a life of all love devoid, And his glimmering lamp dying out in the midst of ob- scurity hung, Was more than my heart could bear, was more than equal strain ; I sank to the ground and poured to Heaven an anxious prayer. And wept as my thoughts ran wild in search of that erring son. A FARMER'S ARTIFICE. I KNEW a farmer of ingenious bent, Who owned a father sheep. Which, where his fancy led him, there he went. The farmer ? " No, the sheep." He tied unto his neck a pole of wood. And turned him out to feed ; Feeling assured that jump he never could He gave him little heed. 48 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. Tlie farmer shortly after took a stroll To .see if ho was strangled, And found he had tried vaulting with a pole, And in the fence was tangled. He freed him safely from the dangerous height, Which he thouijfht tauirht content. No sooner was the farmer out of sight Than safely o'er he went. The farmer saddled now his old gray mare, And on her back did leap ; He rode to neighbour Brown's and purchased there One more paternal sheep. The pair together, then he grasped a chain, And Siamese twinned his sheep ; They their lost freedom never shall regain ; O'er no more fences leap. Meekly they wander through the verdant mead, To their lot reconciled, Quite peacefully, together do they feed, All aspirations foiled. j LIFE'S SEESAW. Upon a seesaw balanced in mid-air, Unequal weighted, sinks the heavier end Down to the ground, and higher doth uplift The lesser power, perched on the further point. The lesser man thus for a time may rise Above the greater, who doth him upbear. And feel putfed up, and claim the power his own Which hpjds him there deluded thus, until A nKFOUK gUEBKC (iT'iO). The .sovereign i)ower upon life's seesaw lifts His form slow up the plane inclined, while at Each gain dependence owns him potentate, As own he nnjst, for soon he finds himself Low on the ffroun Tis the enemy, sir, every where they give way, And thine, dying hero, the pride of the day." *' Then praised be God, in peace meet I death," These the last spoken words by the young hero's breath. When this signal success to his land is made known. By torchlight and bonfires their triumph is shown ; Save one Kentish village, which silence doth keep, Where our dead hero's mother, dejected, doth weep. Second staff of her age is now broken in twain, And should they exult, it would add to her pain. For thus they would seem to rejoice in her woe ; So they nobly forbear, and all triumph forego. May thy name, devout Wolfe, claim the soil thou hast won, Though not a Canadian, yet a true British son : In grateful remembrance, thy name we revere, From the east to the west of thy Heaven-blest sphere. FEARLESS. The unadulterated truth Doth fiction's lore surpass ; My tale is of a fearless youth. And not a charming lass. This youth was strong of heart and limb ; A hunter bold was he ; For bravery, a paradigm. Naught in wild-woods feared he. , i!" ly: " •eath. I, I. t won, re. f EARLESS. He joined the soJdiery and fourrht in many a close affray • And there his courage failed him not! I5ut honours gained each day. At cannon's mouth, he never cringed Back from its scorching breathj He had his nose with powder singed- A nose-breadth then from death. The war is over, and again He seeks his native land • And nightly to assembled men Cites actions hand-to-hand. And at its close triumphant states, How he is void of fear " One who hears all that he relates feays, " Friend, are you sincere ? "Do you not fear the lion wild Or the fast whizzing ball ?" ' "No more than I do fear a child 1 fear them not at all. ' "Nothing within this broad domain • I scorn the soldier's blade • The 'Forest King 'oft I haVe slain, Ot naught am I afraid." It was the balmy month of June; Iheysatwithmashed: The night was light, for shone the moon And not a star was fled. ' Now, all within this little crew Were fond of eggs when raw, W'lt^^^ dark, they found a few, Within a nest of straw. M 62 MAPLE UKt)ERWOOD. "My bonny Jads, now for a treat," Cried one, in accents loud ; "Our eggs are good, they can't be beat," And passed them round the crowd. "Oh, no you don't," our hero said, "The hens are hatchinor now." "What, do you fear a chicken head, So brave a man as thou ? "This hero, now, of many a fight, My comrades, do you see. Has at this hen fruit taken fright ?" Then laughed with merry glee. Our speaker now the egg doth take, And cracks it on his knee. And down his throat the yolk doth shake ; Again he laughs with glee. Loud hero of the bloody fight ! "I braver am than thee. Which I have proved this very night ;" Again he laughs with glee. He knew it was no poison draught, Yet 'twas against his will ; There lay his fear, himself he laughed. And he is laughing still. ^ (sonnet) sunshine. 53 SONNET. winter's reign. The earth is dark and dreary, drenched with rain, wu ^^"^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^y ^^^^^^ of snow, Which bursts and whitens the dark plain below, J3ut twixt the river's banks it strives in vain, Where each alighting flake is duly slain, A moment white, then mingles with its flow ; Nor till the frosty winds, congealing blow, Was it the power its mantle to enchain. Frost, Winter's king, and Snow, his sovereign queen Upon a double throne their sceptre wield. The king of Spring, ere long, war's flag unfurls, Ut Winters reign no vestige soon is seen. As Spring, luxuriant, sweet, clothes wood and field, While, from high mountain cragp. Winter defiance hurls SONNET. ' sunshine. Whence comes that bitter melancholy wail Breaking the melody that reigns around ? w- i^^^^'^^^^'^'^^^ ^^^ '^'"^^ despondent sound V\ ith the ^lad song from the same sunlit vale. Where each the same sweet zephyrs doth inhale. Who IS this man on whom the Lord has frowned VV ith crue oppression crushed unto the ground ? feome helpless outcast whom want doth assail ? " 54 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. ¥ Not so, this groan is from the lips of pride, Whom life has fondled with a secret care, And Knowledge claims as his appointed bride, Who now is yielding unto dark despair : Darkness ne'er dark removes, let in the sun, Thy talents prove, and endless joy is won. ANGER. The ethereal dome of heaven rests unflecked ; I gaze upon its peaceful form in love, So placid and serene doth it appear, Stretched out in beauty o'er the smiling earth : How calmly doth it rest, can it be moved Again, and changed its form and loveliness, And made a source of fear and dread profound. Behold the western sky ! a small white cloud, Cased in gigantic frauie of azure blue In silence reigneth there, soon it expands ; And as it grows in size, it grows in power ; To blackness it is turned, spitting forth fire, While peal on peal of thunder fills the air. And startles the inhabitants of earth. Oft working dire destruction on mankind. Thus Anger on the placid face of youth Supplanteth loveliness, and casts a gloom On all around, the effulgent eye shooteth Forth piercing darts, and from sweet charming lips Which made the welkin with their laughter ring. Impassioned utterances with thunder sound Burst forth, severing too oft friendships best ties And kindling enmity in kindred souls Which years shall often not obliterate. DISCONTENT. Thou power for evil, speedier work is wrought By thee than kindness, and the precious work That kindness has for years been building up, Thou canst, as in a twinkling, destroy. ,1 CLOSING AUTUMN. The grass that was green is now turning to gray ; Its life is seceding and closing its day : Once green leaves are tinted with yellow and red, And by fitful breezes are o'er the earth spread. Drenched by last rains of Autumn they yield to decay. And their beauty no longer, the landscapes array ; On the fair face of Nature, Summer's smile they o'ercast, Time only removes them, they laugh at the blast. Fields no longer are deckt with t ei»* rich golden grain; In gardens doth naught but the worthless remain ; The orchards are stript of their fruit rich and rare ; And the breeze of morn no perfume doth bear. The hum of the bee floateth not on the breeze ; In the desolate grove comes no song from the trees ; Chilling breezes bespeak of the cold wintry blast ; But we live on the pleasure in each season cast. When time rolls around and Spring comes again, With its wakening breath and enlivening rain, The dead leaves of Autumn are buried beneath. As the green blades of grass are drawn from their sheath. Renewed Springs and Summers envelop the heart. Surmounting the dead leaves that Autumns' impart ; This world which we live in how beauteous and blest, Its enjoyment through life should our nature's invest. ' I 56 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. DISCONTENT. Touched by Spring's essence on the Southern breeze, Nature's free vigour doth retop the trees ; Through the dead leaves of Autumn doth arise The bloom of woodland, making glad the eyes. Freed from the monotone of Winter's reign, That spread her mantle o'er the faded plain. Each coming season is with pleasure hailed. Advances, groweth old, and is assailed For shadowing far its false delusive dreams, Which when embraced an idle fancy seems : These draw no honey from the precious bloom ; But idly quaff its passing free perfume. Whose transient essence dies on Nature's breath, While yet the Season laughs at distant death. AFTER SUNSET. The twilight deepens into night : Sunken the sun, I The day is done, And numbers one Unto the annual rounds swift flight. The moon soon seen In silver sheen ; Upon earth's mien DifFuseth her soft beams of light. -- In accents clear From woodland near Three words I hear, " Whip-poor- Will !" sung by a feathered spright. 5e, TO In woodside gloom, The moving bloom, Doth night illume, This living light, the fire-fly's ceaseless flight. 57 FUNERAL PROCESSION. All toward death, one only to the grave, Thus one by one is filled each silent tomb ; And others take their place, Death doth not save, For these in turn approach appointed doom. Some with a mourning heart of inward f^rief, Some with the scalding tear upon their eve, Repeating as they mourn, " This life was brief," ' Yet knowing not how soon they there may lie. How soon forgotten mid this earthly din, The forms of those with w^hom we wished to fade ; Soon we shall lie the icy tomb within. Others shall mourn, forget, and low be laid. This continuity of endless change. Certain and ceaseless shall the grave replete ; Then shall the potentate supreme arrange To swallow Life and Death, and Time complete. t TO How canst thou leave this Heaven blest spot, That is with health and beauty fraught. Where dwells around thy peaceful hearth, Love, happiness, and joyous mirth ; 58 MAPLE UNDERWOOD. There thy fond consort's loving smile And pleasing song eve's hours beguile, Thus might these years in pleasure pass If thou wouldst stay — not so, alas ! Tell me what firm lethargic strain With wild delusion fills thy brain, And o'er thy now unsettled soul Yields an unconquerable control. Go then ! prosperity be thine, May Fortune's rays upon thee shine ! May health thy cheek with bloom diffuse, And happiness thy soul infuse ! LINES TO AN INFANT. Ushered within this vale of sin. Like a first morning beam, Filling with light parental sight. The object of their dream : Two lives, two loves ingraft as one, Furled this florescent gleam. Thy dreamy eyes with wild surprise Each luring fancy crave. Thy chief desire the lurid fire. Powerless, or 'twere thy grave ; Thus weakness in the dawn of life. As strength with years doth save. Thy little feet so quaintly sweet. Throned on thy mother s knee, Curl their pink toes, two little rows. So cute and cunningly ; Oh, what a world of wonderment In their futurity. i PARADISE BELOW. To bonds and bands those arms and hands, Lying useless, yet shall turn ; Dimpled and small, shall yet enthral A form where passions burn, When thy expanding heart pours forth The love which it shall learn. ^ TO Duty is stamped upon thy brow, The love of children in thy soul ; Sweet accents from thy lips do flow, And void of awe maintain control. Thou'rt planting in the youthful breast Germs of sincerity and love, Which on each visage manifest. Blooms sweet on earth, matures above. PARADISE BELOW. The romantic scenes of my earlier days, When I them recall set my soul ablaze. Shall ought expire of exalted worth ? There is nothing vile in sweet thoughts of earth ! They are now engrafted my soul within. And as they bear not the stamp of sin. They shall live with the soul in the heavenly home, That I in earth's Eden may often roam ; For this was Heaven, which sin did kill, And sin removed, it is Heaven still. 60 MAPLR UNDRRWOOD. As I look back adown the yeai-s, There is much that grieves and much that cheers ; The beauties of Nature the mind improve, When stamped in childhood on hearts that love ; A heart thus trained can a solace find, And pour sweet balm on a troubled mind ; The laughing waters do speak of bliss, And the warbling birds do the waters kiss. And rising, pour forth a glad refrain. For the girdle of blessings that earth enchain. When the winds of Autumn blow cold and bleak, A fairer clime doth those songsters seek. Pehold in their guidance the hand of God ! See them safely alight on a flowery sod ! He guides them back, on return of Spring, To cheer our hearts with the songs they sing. From the frosts of sin doth the soul take flight, Led by His Hand unto realms of Light. And when the season of sin is past, He may guide us back to this land at last. ENMITY. Cherish not hate ; he hates himself, who with Vile enmity stirs strife against his fellow, And strives to hurt by means within the law Of man, his influ'nce and prosperity. Hate drowns the fire of conscience, and makes believe That to avenge is right, forgetting that " Vengeance belongeth not to man ;" rather The opposite, "To love all men; do good To them that hate thee." This is God's command, And He our judge shall judge us by His Law, And us condemn for violating such, rs; FINAI.K. Then he who hateth duly shall repent ; Love no repentance needs, therefore Work love. Life is too short for strife. If thou Dost wrong thy fellow do thy guilt confess, And his forgiveness sue, for cherished guilt Makes us the injured hate, while Christian grace Makes us love those we wrong, and love ourselves. 61 f, 3ve FINALE. In the woodland of the North, Like a blossom I arose ; In the woodland of the North Like a blossom may I close. Though my smile is dull and dreary, When compared with those around ; Yet my life is never weary. But with pleasure doth abound. Not from other's vain laudation. From the lips not from the heart ; Greatly would I fear starvation, If I lived upon such art. I have drunk my deepe.^t pleasure, As I do not write for fame ; Found it in each finished measure. None on earth can drink the same. i