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Oh, change-oh, wondrous change!

Burst are the prison bars!

This moment there, so low,

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337

CAROLINE BOWLES SOUTHEY. 15

VOL. III.

Hymn.

BROTHER, thou art gone before us,

And thy saintly soul is flown

Where tears are wiped from every eye,
And sorrow is unknown,

From the burden of the flesh,

And from care and sin released,

Where the wicked cease from troubling, And the weary are at rest.

The toilsome way thou 'st traveled o'er,
And hast borne the heavy load;
But Christ hath taught thy wandering feet
To reach his blest abode.

Thou 'rt sleeping now, like Lazarus,
On his Father's faithful breast,
Where the wicked cease from troubling,
And the weary are at rest.

Sin can never taint thee now,

Nor can doubt thy faith assail; Nor thy meek trust in Jesus Christ And the Holy Spirit fail.

And there thou 'rt sure to meet the good,
Whom on earth thou lovedst best,
Where the wicked cease from troubling,
And the weary are at rest.

"Earth to earth, and dust to dust,"
Thus the solemn priest hath said
So we lay the turf above thee now,
And seal thy narrow bed;

But thy spirit, brother, soars away
Among the faithful blest,

Where the wicked cease from troubling,

And the weary are at rest.

DEATH DEPOSED.

And when the Lord shall summon us
Whom thou now hast left behind,
May we, untainted by the world,

As sure a welcome find;

May each, like thee, depart in peace,

To be a glorious guest

Where the wicked cease from troubling,

And the weary are at rest.

339

HENRY HART MILMAN.

DEATH

Death Deposed.

EATH stately came to a young man, and said, "If thou wert dead,

What matter?" The young man replied,

"See my young bride,

Whose life were all one blackness if I died.

My land requires me; and the world's self, too,
Methinks, would miss some things that I can do.”

Then Death in scorn this only said,

"Be dead."

And so he was.

And soon another's hand
Made rich his land.

The sun, too, of three summers had the might
To bleach the widow's hue, light and more light,
Again to bridal white.

And nothing seemed to miss beneath that sun
His work undone.

But Death soon met another man, whose eye
Was Nature's spy;

Who said: "Forbear thy too triumphant scorn.
The weakest born

Of all the sons of men is by his birth
Heir of the Might Eternal; and this Earth
Is subject to him in his place.

Thou leav'st no trace.

"Thou - the mock Tyrant that men fear and hate, Grim fleshless Fate,

Cold, dark, and wormy thing of loss and tears!
Not in the sepulchres

Hast lodging, but in my own crimsoned heart;
Where while it beats we call thee Life.

A name, a shadow, into any gulf,
Out of this world, which is not thine,

But mine:

Or stay! because thou art

Only Myself."

Depart!

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM.

A Resurrection Hymn.

DE

"The Lord is risen."

EAR Saviour of a dying world,
Where grief and change must be,
In the new grave where thou wast laid,

My heart lies down with thee :
Oh, not in cold despair of joy,
Or weariness of pain,

But from a hope that shall not die,
To rise and live again.

I would arise in all thy strength
My place on earth to fill —
To work out all my time of war
With love's unflinching will.

A RESURRECTION HYMN.

Firm against every doubt of thee

For all my future way
To walk in Heaven's eternal light
Throughout the changing day.

Ah, such a day as thou shalt own
When suns have ceased to shine
A day of burdens borne by thee,
And work that all was thine.
Speed thy bright rising in my heart-
Thy righteous kingdom speed-

Till

my

whole life in concord say, "The Lord is risen indeed."

Oh for an impulse from thy love
With every coming breath,
To sing that sweet undying song
Amid the wrecks of death!
A "hail!" to every mortal pang
That bids me take my right
To glory in the blessed life

Which thou hast brought to light.

I long to see the hallowed earth
In new creation rise

To find the germs of Eden hid
Where its fallen beauty lies
To feel the spring-tide of a soul
By one deep love set free,
Made meet to lay aside her dust,
And be at home with thee.

And then

there shall be yet an end

An end now full to bless!

How dear to those who watch for thee

With human tenderness!

Then shall the saying come to pass
That makes our hope complete,

And, rising from the conquered grave,
Thy parted ones shall meet.

341

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