Who in the blaze of riper day

Of purer science, holier laws,
Bless us, faint heralds of their cause,
Dim beacons of their glorious way.

Failure? While tide-floods rise and boil Round cape and isle, in port and cove, Resistless, star-led from above:

What though our tiny wave recoil?

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

IT chanced upon the merry, merry Christmas eve
I went sighing past the church, across the moorland

dreary

"Oh! never sin and want and woe this earth will leave, And the bells but mock the wailing round, they sing

so cheery.

How long, O Lord! how long before Thou come again? Still in cellar, and in garret, and on moorland dreary The orphans moan, and widows weep, and poor men toil in vain,

Till the earth is sick of hope deferred, though Christmas bells be cheery."

Then arose a joyous clamour from the wild fowl on the mere,

Beneath the stars, across the snow, like clear bells

ringing,

And a voice within cried- "Listen!—Christmas carols

even here!

Though thou be dumb, yet o'er their work the stars

and snows are singing.

Blind! I live, I love, I reign; and all the nations

through

With the thunder of my judgments even now are

ringing;

Do thou fulfil thy work, but as yon wild fowl do,

Thou wilt heed no less the wailing yet hear through it angels' singing."

MY HUNTING SONG.

FORWARD! hark! forward 's the

cry

!

One more fence and we 're out on the open!
So to us at once, if you want to live near us—
Follow them, hark to them, darlings! as on they go,
Leaping and sweeping down into the vale below!
Cowards and bunglers whose heart or whose eye is slow
Find themselves staring alone.

So the great cause flashes by,

Nearer and clearer its purposes open,

While louder and louder the world-echoes cheer us:
Gentlemen, sportsmen, you ought to live up to us,
Lift us and lead us, and hallo our game to us—
We cannot take the hounds off, and no shame to us—
Don't be left staring alone!

SONGS.

Ask if I love thee? Oh smiles cannot tell
Plainer what tears are now showing too well.
Had I not loved thee, my sky had been clear:
Had I not loved thee, I had not been here,

Weeping for thee!

Ask if I love thee?

How else could I borrow

Pride from man's calumny, strength from thy sorrow? Laugh when they sneer at the fanatic's bride Knowing no bliss, save to toil and to bide

Weeping for thee !

II.

The world goes up and the world goes down,
And the sunshine follows the rain;
And yesterday's sneer and yesterday's frown
Can never come over again,

Sweet wife,

No, never come over again.

For woman is warm though man be cold,
And the night will hallow the day ;

Till the heart which at even was weary and old

Can rise in the morning gay,

Sweet wife,

To its work in the morning gay.