ffl€£T€RNAL£ULOGY -i! VINA CORDELIA BUCK Class Book Copyright N?._ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/eternaleulogyOObuck THE ETERNAL EULOGY THE ETERNAL EULOGY BY NINA CORDELIA BUCK BOSTON RICHARD G. BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS Copyright, 1920, by Nina C. Buck All Rights Reserved ft°* Made in the United States of America The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. MAY - i 1920 ©CU586803 TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER CHARLES FRANCIS BUCK WHOSE LIFE AND DEATH HAVE BEEN MY GREATEST INSPIRATION CONTENTS PAGE Inspiration u I Want to Sing of God 12 Crossing the Alps 13 Old Father Time 14 Solace 15 A Lonely Heart 16 Nature's Call 17 "The Rich and Poor Alike Belong to God" . . 18 Love Latent 19 Song of Autumn 20 Recompense 21 The Lament 22 Worship 24 The Forest 25 A Forest Stream 26 Lost Divinity 27 The Natural Heart 28 My Garden 29 Aspiration 31 7 8 Contents Success 32 Springtime Hope. 33 My Prayer 34 A Mountain Brook 35 Shades Past and Future 36 Enjoy Now 37 Children at Play 38 Dawn 39 Immortality 40 The Ladder of Years 41 Night 42 To My Father 43 Death 44 The City of the Dead 45 The Rose .46 It was a Weathered Cottage 47 A Storm 48 Today the World's a Fairyland 49 The True Church .50 On Deck at Night 51 Niagara . 52 THE ETERNAL EULOGY INSPIRATION Once as I gazed upon the star-laid deep, And thought of God and longed to have a peep At Heaven's mysteries, my wondering soul Grew sad and large with yearning till my whole Being cried to utter praise. Tears rose; I thought if only I were one of those Who in great poesy have nobly sung The glories of creation ! How has rung My heart since then to find expression meet For things too deep for thought yet still replete To stir emotion! Now at last it seems A flood-gate has been opened, and there teems Such tide of words to pour adoring laud I tremble lest I should offend Thee, God. II The Eternal Eulogy I WANT TO SING OF GOD I want to sing of God. O soul presumptuous That dares to choose a theme so far beyond Its powers! And yet, O Lord, it is my heart That seeks, as Miriam's did, to humbly bring Pure laurels to Thy throne. Ah, how would the Pygmean race of men attain giant strength Of soul, if using eyes and ears Thou hast given, They'd reap the holy lessons of Thy Truth! How lost are these to some, despite the voices Clear that speak with quiet majesty. For towering cliffs, the dark abyss of night, Great ocean's breadth, wild storms, proclaim, O Lord, Thy glorious Might; the freshly budding rose, Sweet babes new-born, and birds that sing on boughs, Thy Love; while in the falling rain and drop Of dew, the lucent trickle of a bubbling Spring, one reads Thy Purity. And how Thy Peace and Joy declare themselves in great Munificence of lovely things: the glow Of iridescent sunset and the dawn, Aurora borealis and the arch That comes and goes in glory after rain! While now and then a speeding meteor says To listening men, "Like this thy soul. O come And follow on thy way toward Home!" 12 The Eternal Eulogy CROSSING THE ALPS O mighty ranges of majestic peaks, Clothed angel-like in raiment glistening white, Or somber garbed in brown of crags whose height Is spent in distance, how thy grandeur speaks As naught before! My soul enraptured seeks To render praise: then pondering sin, how tight My heart draws cords of yearning for a light To conquer wrong, with which the great world reeks. For in thy far-spread beauty seems a link Twixt man and Heaven — the mystic symbols plain To all who read with open heart and think On sanctity. Yet oh, the evil stain Remains, and sordid men still spurn thy brink Of holiness which, beckoning, gleams in vain! 13 The Eternal Eulogy OLD FATHER TIME Old Father Time, what turmoil hast thou known Upon this ancient earth since first was sown The human race! Canst thou not clearer teach Ennobling aims to man whose usual reach Is blunted and obscure? Or is it still The wise Creator's wish that thou shouldst fill Each day, each year, each century with skeins Of tangled weal abstrusely brought? — The rains Of storms reveal a purer tinge of all Dust covered green, e'en though fair roses fall Throughout their fury: So perhaps dark wrong Is sent to chasten while it drives a prong Of pain in sufr'ring, bleeding hearts. — Meanwhile, O Time, as quick thou mark'st thy patient dial With passing moments of our juggling lives, Be not like one who with a foe connives, But help us better free the fettered soul That baffled struggles through its complex role. The Eternal Eulogy SOLACE Dost thou hear a moaning? Ah, it is the groaning Of souls steeped in burdens Given them to bear. Dost thou hear a sighing? Oh, it is the crying Of hearts crushed in sorrows, Lifting up their woe. Hark! Dost hear a singing? 'T is the heavens ringing, Sending quick the solace, Peace and love from God. 15 The Eternal Eulogy A LONELY HEART A self-made hermit dwelling all alone Is scarce more isolate than I, who prone To love am love denied. Do I atone Some former callous state, some wrong unknown ? Still I love God. In loneliness I wander here and there And grudge sometimes the happiness to spare Mongst mortals overblessed. Ah, do not dare To mourn — be thankful for thy spirit's share To walk with God. When days are filled with dreariness and pain, And cruel injustice rends thy heart in twain, O soul, let not the outward fetters chain: Rise from the bonds and inward joy gain. Trust in thy God. 16 The Eternal Eulogy NATURE'S CALL Has not thy spirit ever felt the call To rest beside a gentle forest stream And let it purl sweet music to thy dream Of chastened life and end of worldly thrall: To watch the tinted leaves of autumn fall Like kisses soft on rippling lips that gleam, While wistfully thou mournest joys that seem All tangled in a swarthy, tainted pall? Oh, if thou canst, thus loiter on the brink Of lucent waters, babbling tuneful sound, And let thy darkened mind no longer think Of human wrongs and selfish aims, earth-bound Let forest odors and the music sink Deep in thine heart — 't is so that God is found. 17 The Eternal Eulogy "THE RICH AND POOR ALIKE BELONG TO GOD" Thou aged woman who dost slowly plod With halting tread this steeply rough ascent — Thy tired back with heavy burden bent — Thou sham'st me as I ride: yet there's a clod Lies pressing, too, upon my heart, though rod Of Fate appears to touch me light. 5 T is meant That each must bear some trial from Heaven sent — "The rich and poor alike belong to God." To me, about thee gleams a halo bright: Like glow-worm, lambent creature of the soil, In covert gliding almost out of sight, Which not forgot in brilliant rushing moil Of greater life, but blessed with its own light, Shines sanctified spite of its lowly coil. 18 The Eternal Eulogy LOVE LATENT And hast thou dared to derogate my love And call it idle dreaming — Nothing more — Because reserve hath given it a seeming Dearth of warmth, And Love's deep stir of motion? O hast thou looked upon the resting sea, With all its pulses sleeping, Calmly bright, And yet not known an unseen power was creeping — Strong and fierce — To burst its height in breakers? And when sometimes the air is heavily still, Among the leaves no rustling Stir of sound, Dost thou not feel there soon will be a bustling Current start Of storm unbound and maddened? Why then canst thou not understand a heart That smothers its wild beating — Hope restrained — And know that therein lies a latent greeting, If aroused, Would spring in joy to meet thee! 19 The Eternal Eulogy SONG OF AUTUMN Blow gently, winds, and ease my heart With the music thou dost make Mongst crisping leaves that loosened start And flutter as boughs shake. And thou, O pure and sparkling stream, Bear kindly on thy breast These gifts of Autumn, Spring's spent dream, Now sent to thee for rest. The tuneful sounds, the soothing flow Of ripples satin bright, Remind me Life like Earth should glow E'en with a lost delight. 20 The Eternal Eulogy RECOMPENSE Why lettest thou thy heart in sadness yearn For things that might have been, but now are lost? To all the beauties in the wide world turn, And know that grief with joy is ever crossed. Think how the sunshine scatters night's dark shade, And wak'ning birds their cheery music send; Behold the dew-kissed roses ere they fade, And with thy sorrow, soothing sweetness blend. 21 The Eternal Eulo&y THE LAMENT Soft from the sighing sea A ceaseless murmur is borne; Like a white robed choir the billows rise, And chant as with hearts care-worn. Is it for ships that are wrecked — Is it for souls that are lost — The breakers recede from the wave-lapped shore, Leaving tears there upon the sand. Low the waving forests A surging whisper send; Like arms in distress the branches toss, And pitying seem to bend. Is it for wanderers grown weary — Is it for those who despond — The boughs dip and quiver again and again, And leaves fall in silent despair. Loud from high -walled cities The moan of the sufferer ascends, And over the earth from cottage to crown With saddening power it trends. Oh, well may the sea shed tears — Oh, well may the forests wail — The winds and the waves only echo the cries Of hearts cruelly burdened with woe. 22 The Eternal Euloffy Hush! from Heaven's star-lit dome Now floats another voice; The sea grows calm at its soothing sound And the elements all rejoice. It is hope — it is hope for a troubled world- It is solace for harassed souls — The shadow of sorrow recedes from the earth, And a radiant gladness appears. 23 The Eternal Eulogy WORSHIP Surrounded by great ice-bound cliffs I stand And gaze upon high summits where the sheen Of evening, ethereal, is seen Transmuting snow to glory. Near at hand, Across rough tumbled rocks and bedded sand, A small rude shrine is lonely built that e'en Draws pious worshippers, mong peasants mean, In sight of God's own altars, nobly grand. Far from me to deride the simple heart That brings devotion to this uncouth fane: Yet still must I abhor, and pained, quick start From ugliness to beauties that contain Deep lessons of divinity, with part Of God's true, holy essence rendered plain. 24 The Eternal Eulogy THE FOREST Sweet was that first enchanting hour I penetrated deep A solemn, shadowy forest trail Where ferns and mosses sleep. While massed trees soared and thickets lay Widespread in worship meek, I quiet between in reverence stood And let my whole heart speak. The surging rustle of the leaves Came as a soft reply, Sublimely whispering holy thoughts Responsive to my sigh. Ah, then it seemed I was a soul Of extinct primal race, Breathing freedom, peace and love Direct from Heaven's grace! 25 The Eternal Eulogy A FOREST STREAM How beautiful thou art, O winding stream, That glidest through this forest like a dream Of Nature, who hath laid no barring rock To spoil thy quiet charm nor rudely mock Thy peace with sudden agitation. Fair Thy banks with lily-pads which kindly share Thy varied strand with beaches of white sand That gleam in nooks where silken rushes stand. While dense above, green meshes line thy way Of shrubs and moss-hung trees, where copious stray Close twining vines, all which protecting bend Low o'er thy waters as they onward trend. At night, when soft the moon from throne on high Sends over all a lustrous veil, which nigh A holy spectre seems, that glistening spreads His benison o'er earth as light he treads, Thou art sublime, so that one calmly drifts In contemplation pure which high up-lifts: Till noise of clamorous insects and dull base Of croaking frogs arouse, and roughly chase In earthly issue all the dreamy leaven That caused the soul to float in joy toward Heaven ! 26 The Eternal Eulogy LOST DIVINITY A noble piece of work indeed is man, With divers chaste endowments godlike made, Yet how these super qualities oft fade, Enveloped in a grappling pall that can Each good assail and every blessing ban: In which sweet truth and honor grow decayed, And hearts intended lofty, pure, and staid Sink sullied as in clutch of demon clan! Oh, why does man not move in steady stream Like stars and flowers that unswerving hold Their beauty and divinity supreme: Not let inherent holiness be sold For earthly lust, an evanescent dream, Forgetting the divine, immortal mould! 27 The Eternal Eulogy THE NATURAL HEART Toward a theater vestibule aflare With shimmering, ostentatious light that seemed To flaunt a triumph over day, there streamed A gorgeous maze of folk. Above the stair I stood and marked the silks and jewels rare That clothed this garish host so that it gleamed Unnatural; while copiously there teemed From rustlings soft, dull perfumes through the air. "O primal Life, entombed in guileful art!" The pessimist in me deplored with heat; Then soft, a strain of music made me start And thrill: the optimist quick rushed to meet The change: "No, in this sham a natural heart Burns sentient still — laughs, weeps, with every beat." 28 The Eternal Eulogy MY GARDEN My garden is a home of joy supreme, A part of Eden, lest I falsely dream, Where one forgets sad crime and all that mars Earth's quiet beauty — pains and sores and scars Of souls grown torpid in lethargic coil Of trifling aims or gyres of weary toil: All breathes sweet peace and aspiration high, With Godlike things beneath a Godgiven sky. For here are trees of noble height, and grace, And flowering shrubs enclosing paths that trace Their way to bowers fresh, or rocky nooks Made cool by trickling springs and wand'ring brooks. Besides are spaces, softly smooth and green, Where Heaven's blue, unblemished and serene, Is stretched to view, unfurling calm and rest To battling hearts, with grief or wrong oppressed. In day-time when o'er all the sunshine plays And sifts each tree and vine to seek free ways Of flecking cloistered turf, sequestered pools Or paths betwixt entangled void of rules, 29 The Eternal Eulogy I go with books to study and to think There all alone, and deep in pleasure sink; While birds with friendly twitter flutter round, And rustling leaves lisp soft and soothing sound. But in the twilight I love most to rove The open spaces, there to look above The bronzing trees toward sunset's lambent gold; To watch the silvery moon of cresent mould Slip slowly down the shimmering western wall; Then greet each starry gleam that seems to fall In place like soldiers from a camp on high, Guarding more and more the darkening sky. Ah, then toward Heaven does my spirit flee — Or, glorified, do I draw Heaven to me? 30 The Eternal Eulogy ASPIRATION It was the pensive merging hour When earth and heaven blend In veiling mist and lambent hues The parting sun doth lend. With slow and halting step I climbed A rugged valley road, Then paused to breathe the freshness Where a purling brooklet flowed. Afar, between the darkening hills, A straggling hamlet slept, While from its breast a soaring spire, High-reaching, firmly crept. Undaunted, from its lowly base Attenuate it strained Up, up toward the lucent dome — A touch of glory gained. Subdued yet thrilled I let my soul Soar with the slender streak, And prayed as surely I should rise To aims I humbly seek. 3i The Eternal Eulogry SUCCESS O thou in the abyss of dark despair, Who griev'st thine heart with thoughts that thou hast failed, And dost thy moans let loose upon the air Like echoes from a gloomy cavern trailed: Within the light of tranquil reason ask If thou hast toiled with patient, steadfast course To reach the finished purpose of thy task, Nor shunned a single means thy powers could force. For then, rejoice — thy failure is success! Is it a failure for the half blown rose, Wind-tossed and scarred by ruthless, outward stress, To lose at last the beauteous goal it chose? If thou hast done thy best, then be not sad, But hold thine heart victorious and glad! 32 The Eternal Eulogy SPRINGTIME HOPE Thou dear enchantress of the solemn earth, Fair budding Spring, that swift transformest dearth Of joy to richest bounty! I must laugh This crystal morn; with thy pure nectar quaff New life and hope, while happily I stray Through woodland's tender mesh, or open way Of meadows softly decked in raiment sweet! Here every new-born leaf and flower I greet. For they are filled with this same hope I know, And thrilling, look upon the wondrous show Of Nature's art as prophecy replete Of their fruition: nor will they compete In envious struggle for ambition's goal, But quietly attain the finished whole As God intends it. So then, too, shall I Still building hope, as they do, pure and high, Contented move along my given path, Believing life a Heaven-led issue hath. 33 The Eternal Eulogy MY PRAYER I do not fear to die: I only pray That ere I go some deed I shall have wrought Right worthy of the gifts Thou hast conferred; That Thou at last shalt graciously bestow The praise, "Well done," upon Thy servant's task : Nor do I care what is the thought of those Who are so quick to flatter or to scorn. 34 The Eternal Eulogy A MOUNTAIN BROOK This mountain brook is like a life that teems With action, swift, unwearied, and awake To stirring need and passions deep that shake Its restless current free from supine dreams: With impulse bold and urgent force it streams O'er massive rocks that vainly try to make Its crystal waters falter as they take Their leaping course midst gloom no sun redeems. Yet with the wisdom of a man who knows That toil must have its respite to achieve, And can, with strength renewed, each pause re- trieve, At intervals, in limpid pools it slows Its vigorous haste, and seems to ponder well Wise counsels all the whispering thickets tell. 35 The Eternal Eulogy SHADES PAST AND FUTURE When I have roamed within the dusky halls Of dwellings century-old, or gazed on trees And vines in shadowy gardens where one sees Sharp traceries of age on walks and walls, A subtle charm subdues and then enthralls — Intangible, obscure, there flits and flees A spectre throng once resident there: with these My soul unites, to them my spirit calls. Yet here, within my new domain widespread, Fresh filled with beauty for myself and friends, This dreamy sweet communion with the dead Gives place to jealous pangs: the future sends Weird visions of strange men unborn who'll tread These loved paths : with them my heart contends ! 36 The Eternal Eulogy ENJOY NOW O Life, must thou go speeding by As swiftly as this sunset ray? It scarce did touch that budding rose And now has glided far away! What care those busy flitting bees, Emblazoned still in flooding light; They happily, o'er clover beds, Forget the near approaching night. And listen, there's a mocking-bird, Soft warbling on a gleaming bough Is it not speaking to my heart, Enjoy now! Enjoy now! 37 The Eternal Euloffy CHILDREN AT PLAY What ringing shouts are these that stir the air! Ah children, ye are monarchs of the earth, Thy realms o'erbrimmed with freedom and a mirth That spreads itself for all who wish to share. Thy laughter draws as Orpheus music fair, Bestowing precious comfort and new birth Of pleasure to replace unhappy dearth In saddened hearts deep holding pain or care. See how the sun smiles on thy merry play, Bright twinkling leaves nod from approving trees, Enlivened sparrows hop with aspect gay, And butterflies flit blithely on the breeze; While o'er me soft there steals a gladsome ray As part of thy sweet youth and joy I seize! 38 The Eternal Eulogy DAWN A pity 't is to lie asleep At pearly, new-made morn, And miss the dewy beauties born When from Night's shade they creep. There's inspiration in each blade Of grass or leaflet bright, While in the spreading, hallowed light, Ignoble passions fade. Exalted then one feels the breath Still left by Heaven's kiss, And reads in Earth's restored bliss The promises of death. 39 The Eternal Eulogy IMMORTALITY What matters that the hearts of men Are racked with torturing care? Sometime, somewhere, a greater life Is coming pure and fair. For immortality we strive, Not present's meager hold ; The soul must struggle as it seeks The empyrean gold. 40 The Eternal Eulogy THE LADDER OF YEARS I'm climbing the ladder of years, With each ascending round, Spite of burning tears, IVe joy found. Joy in doing right, Joy in spreading love: Ah, soon I'll see the light That gleams above. I'm climbing the ladder of years. Soon I'll reach the top, Leaving sorrow and fears, Before I stop. On I'm glad to plod, Searching better things; On to Thee, O God, Who glory brings. 41 The Eternal Eulogy NIGHT A moonbeam spreads its silver o'er my bed And lures me to the casement where I stand To reverence thee, O Night sublime! How- grand Thou art in thy grave splendor, yet dost shed Such mystic peace I almost hear the tread Of angels passing on thy shadowy strand While guarding mortals. Oh, to understand The messages thou sendest from the dead! For things substantial thou hast hidden in tints So somber scarce a definite outline shows: Thy mantle dim is pregnant with frail hints Of those I've lost: my longing spirit flows To theirs, as soft thy spectral moonlight glints, And whisperingly a gentle zephyr blows. 42 The Eternal Eulogy TO MY FATHER My Father, I am proud that I did spring From one whose great nobility of soul Exalted him above the lowly role That he seemed heir to. Ah, how Fate did bring Thee sorrows as a child that often ring Men's souls beyond redemption. Yet the whole Of thy young, lonely life stretched toward the goal Of honor and renown, thou true-born king! For thy great heart and mind shone out among Thy fellows. Wealth and fame still found thee meek: Like Christ divine, about thee there seemed flung The cloak of Wisdom and of Love to speak To all men's hearts. Thy memory has clung A hallowed thought: thy guidance still I seek. 43 The Eternal Eulogy DEATH Time was when I have feared the wondrous thought Of death. I shrank that I should go alone On paths of immortality unknown. But since thy quiet passing, death has brought Its glorious truths more plain. The lessons taught That Christ had died for me and would atone All sin were too remote. Now thou hast shown Death lovely: this poor knotted life as naught. Naught but a longing for a purer strand, A pushing of the inner self from ties Material toward a loving, unseen Hand Stretched ever greeting. As thy fading sighs Grew less, the Holy Ghost seemed near to stand In blessing, drawing thee to tranquil skies. 44 The Eternal Eulogy THE CITY OF THE DEAD This City of the Dead has come to be A place of hope and quiet ecstasy Since thou wert laid to rest. What beauties spread Around this solemn path I lightly tread! Gazing toward Heaven above the great Magnolia trees, whose lacquered leaves and late Remaining blooms of alabaster seem With holy light and hallowed peace to gleam, I pierce the shining azure of the skies: My heart strains into space, and yearning cries, "O Father, where art thou?" Thou seem'st awake And near. The answer comes as though thou spake From out God's Universe, along His path: "Here all is well — great joy my spirit hath!" 45 The Eternal Eulogy THE ROSE For days I watched a beauteous rose unfold Its creamy petals, velvet soft, and flushed As if its calyx proudly seemed to hold The sunset's bloom where it had gently brushed. Soon I shall pluck this lovely flower, methought, And lay it as an ofr'ring fair and pure, Upon the grave of him whose loss has wrought A painful void that I must ere endure. Then came a ragged urchin from the street, A pallid waif, of sad and anxious mien, With stealthy tread approached my treasure sweet, Bent, broke, and snatched — I staring, dumb, unseen. Reluctantly, I stood with bended head, While heart pangs eased, and eye restrained a tear; Should not the living come before the dead? — 'T would be a double wrong to interfere: Wrong to this needy, craving soul that seeks In theft the beauty his poor fate denies; And wrong to him whose spirit surely speaks And bids me yield the culprit his fair prize. Go, boy — thy face deep buried in the rose — May all its perfumed loveliness abide Long in thine heart: a memory that glows With holy light, and proves thy Heavenly guide! 46 The Eternal Eulogy IT WAS A WEATHERED COTTAGE It was a weathered cottage that I passed, Yet roses climbed resplendent o'er its wall, And stately trees grew close, so proud and tall, It seemed as 't were a rugged gem held fast By things that knew its worth and, loving, cast Their affluent beauty, quite unmindful all Of lowly state, or penury's sad pall, Or sorrow keener than a wintry blast. 'T is thus impartial Nature points the way To those enriched by fickle Fortune's nod; "O share thy store with all," she seems to say, "Nor spurn the poor who humbly toil and plod. All life is one though Fate divides the clay: All souls the same that truly serve their God." 47 The Eternal Eulogy A STORM Ah, is God angry with the unrighteous world? How dark it grows, and how great trees do bend With rushing wind that fiercer grows to rend Their mighty boughs! How frightened leaves are swirled About mute lawns, and in wild eddies twirled To dizziness! A ghostlike mist doth blend As if avenging angels ruthless send Their army gainst the earth, in fury hurled ! All night confusion lasts; dire travail shakes Till trees and dwellings fall, e'en life is lost: Then comes a wondrous peace! Sad earth awakes To find an azure sky above its tossed And fearful face! Subdued with awe, it takes A thankful breath, scarce knowing what has crossed. 48 The Eternal Eulogy TODAY THE WORLD'S A FAIRYLAND Today the world's a fairyland so fair I joy to live and breathe its diamond air So filled with balmy sweets. High emerald trees, Scintillant in a gently stirring breeze, Lean light against the turquoise sky, and blooms Of blossoming myrtle sweep their ruby plumes Below in witching splendor. The vista grows More lovely as I walk : the whole earth glows. Soon, charmed, I settle by a shimmering lake, And deep the dear enchantments raptured take Into my heart. The water's satin sheet Gleams quiet, and far within its cup there meet All hues and forms that are above, yet more Entrancing. As I dream upon the shore My soul expands in wonder at the powers Of Him who, like a Great Magician, showers Such plenitude of beauty: then it burns With highest praise, and hope that glowing turns To picture death, assured it e'en must be More filled with loveliness than all I see! 49 The Eternal Eulogy THE TRUE CHURCH I love the Gothic temples spired high, Italian fanes of marble richly wrought, Epitomes of man's religious thought And veneration mounting toward the sky. Fleeting generations rise and die, Yet still these stand sublime, as if they've caught Stability and grace from Heaven, and taught, Dumb messengers divine, that God is nigh ! But instinct warns God's true church is the heart, From whose quiet altars, hidden in vesture plain, Each sigh of adoration, or the smart Of patient pain, or of repentant stain Of sin, is wafted straight to Heaven — a part Of fervent Hope's continuous refrain. 50 The Eternal Eulogy ON DECK AT NIGHT Illimitable stretch of heaving sea, Empurpled in Cimmerian dark of night, Thou seemst within thy solemn, mystic might To hold the secret of infinity; While in the velvet dome that covers thee, Ablaze with myriad, trembling lamps alight — Fixed beacons of the Lord to paths of right — I read the legend of eternity. Eternity! The comprehension fails At thought of thee! The yearning spirit wars With mundane snares: all world ambition pales. Great Universe — God's Home, and ours! — ■ Though bars Of error cramp my soul, Truth's goal it trails Enrapt, among the everlasting stars. 5i The Eternal Eulogy NIAGARA Stupendous mass of seething emerald fair, That loses half itself in wraithlike pall, With what majestic splendor dost thou fall From thy great height and breadth! The trem- bling air Reverberates with thundering sound, for there Are myriad voices in thy waters, all Roaring loud an endless, ponderous call To proud, presumptuous men: "Beware — beware!" Thou seem'st a part of things divine but lent To finite earth: Oh, may thy wondrous show Of airy beauty and of power be spent In elevating souls toward the glow Of Truth eternal, God's supreme intent, Which in good time He'll lead us all to know! 52 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: Sept. 2009 PreservationTechnologles ■ r