PS 3545 
 .H285 
 
 P6 
 1912 
 Copy 1 
 
 POEMS OF THE 
 
 ^awn- Cig^t 
 
 /■ \ 
 
POEMS OF THE 
 
 DAWN-LIGHT 
 
 "Day was breaking. The gray light crept in with a kind of 
 reverence, as if the morning were on its knees." 
 
 — Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. 
 
 Then sunlight gold with dawn-light gray was mixed in morning's 
 regal splendor. 
 
 ELIZABETH HOWLAND WHEELER 
 
\ ' 
 
 l'aA3206 70 
 
DAWN-LIGHT. 
 
 Dawn there comes, of soft, sweet radiance. 
 
 Ere the last stars pale away 
 Lost in brightness of the morning, — 
 
 Dawn that heralds glorious day. 
 
 Oh the dawn-light breaketh sweetly 
 'Neath the star-gemmed firmament. 
 
 Night was cheered with Faith's dear promise. 
 By the stars, sweet message sent. 
 
 Oh we love the star-gemmed heavens 
 
 That reveal the power of God 
 Through the darkness, else so dreary. 
 
 Night o'erspreads o'er earthland sod. 
 
 Glad we catch the gleams of brightness. 
 Like God's truths that fall so sweet 
 
 On our night-beclouded spirits, 
 And restrain our erring feet. 
 
 Lo the light shall come in splendor, 
 Breaking dawn-light's dreamy spell, 
 
 And incoming Christ-life render 
 Sfweet the chorus "All is well !" 
 
LIFE. 
 
 'Mid the ceaseless din of the sounding tide, 
 As the waves roll out, and the waves roll in. 
 
 Something there comes from an unseen side ; 
 Catch we a hint of a depth within; 
 
 Catch we something transcending our thought; 
 
 Hold we some knowledge by no gold bought. 
 
 O the waves recede from our outward eyes, 
 
 And the sound recedes from our ears. 
 Yet something affirms, and something denies, 
 
 And rises in might to condemn our fears. 
 Still there is left a vision strong 
 That breathes of right, and breathes of wrong. 
 
 There's something within that reaches out, 
 
 That heeds not the waves as they come and go. 
 We are able to trust, we are able to doubt ; 
 
 Will this be caught by the wild waves flow ? 
 "Ah," we cry, "We are not the seeming man 
 That liveth to love but a seeming span." 
 
 "Ah, it is us, it is us," we cry. 
 
 This something beyond the red blood's flow. 
 There's a knowledge and strength that is vast and high, 
 
 There's a power within that we fail to show. 
 And life is not what men have thought, 
 There's a something beyond, by no lore taught. 
 
'Mid the ceaseless din of the sounding tide, 
 As the waves roll out, and the waves roll in, 
 
 There's a life that calls to the truer side, 
 To a love-bought haven, free from sin. 
 
 There is, beyond this surface strife, 
 
 A vast deep plane of Spirit-life. 
 
 O the ages of wandering, and loss of sight. 
 
 And the strangeness of life as the waves rolled high! 
 
 O the guessing at wrong, and the guessing at right ! 
 But man is not of the groan and sigh. 
 
 We may stand in His strength who conquered the strife. 
 
 WHAT SEEMS IS NOT MAN, WHAT SEEMS IS 
 NOT LIFE. 
 
COME UP HIGHER. 
 
 Soul among the shadows Hngering, 
 
 Lonely, on an earthly strand, 
 Striving, "duty"-bound, impeded 
 
 By false thought on every hand, 
 Listen to a higher music. 
 
 Hear the bells of love-land ring 
 As they chime of light and freedom, 
 
 Hear the waiting- angels sing 
 
 "Come up higher. Come up higher. 
 
 "Come above those clouds of earth-land 
 
 Ne'er imposed by love divine. 
 Come above those mists of cloudland, 
 
 See how all God's stars yet shine. 
 Man hath drawn dark clouds around thee, 
 
 Hath perplexed by direful dream. 
 Through dark fear of the Eternal, 
 
 Life doth seem a cruel scheme. 
 
 Come up higher. Come up higher. 
 
 "Come unto a lovelit sunrise, 
 
 Then the mists shall roll away. 
 Come unto the Love Eternal ; 
 
 It shall never say thee "nay." 
 Take thine own and rest in gladness. 
 
 Thou art not of earthly sod. 
 Lift thine eyes, behold thy birthright. 
 
 Thou thy being hast in God. 
 
 Come up higher. Come up higher. 
 
 lO 
 
"Love doth catch the faintest whisper. 
 
 Hear us strike our harps of gold 
 As thou cometh to the Father, 
 
 As in heaven the tale is told. 
 We will lend thee our assistance, 
 
 We will bring, unseen, unheard. 
 Holy comfort, heavenly sunshine. 
 
 When by prayer the air is stirred. 
 
 Come up higher. Come up higher. 
 
 "Taste ye of the loving oneness 
 Felt upon the higher plane; 
 
 Then ye cannot wander sadly 
 Barring out our glad refrain 
 'Come up higher. Come up higher.' " 
 Holy music of the homeland, 
 
 Glad we yield to thy sweet call. 
 And by word and act we echo 
 "Come up higher. Come up higher." 
 
 To the heart of brothers all, 
 
 II 
 
THE HIGHER REALM. 
 
 Ever spring- to meet the stargleams 
 
 Of a higher realm of thought. 
 Not content to dwell in darkness, 
 
 Spring to reach a realm long sought 
 By the earnest dreams of earthland, 
 
 Waiting aspirations flight, 
 Waiting for the Christ-life entrance 
 
 To transmute that faith to sight. 
 
 There's a power within, stupendous; 
 
 Wait upon that Inner Light, 
 Heed the "small voice" speaking ever, 
 
 Bidding you direct that might 
 To, perchance, an act of kindness. 
 
 To some act that slight may seem, 
 Starting, yet, a demonstration 
 
 That will prove far 'yond your dream. 
 
 Wait upon that inner oneness 
 
 With the Power beneath the din. 
 Heed ye e'en the slightest whisper 
 
 Of the consciousness within. 
 Then some day will come a waking 
 
 Far above material plane, 
 And your thought will beat to music 
 
 Of a more than ansrel strain. 
 
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When your life is made harmonious 
 
 By the might of Spirit power, 
 There shall shine a radiance round thee, 
 
 As God's child your rightful dower, 
 That shall reach the saddened spirit. 
 
 That shall quell the earthland strife. 
 That shall speak, for the Eternal, 
 
 Of God's glad and glorious Life. 
 
 i? 
 
PEACE. 
 
 When we feel a deep peace stealing 
 That we cannot understand, 
 
 Then we know some chords are struck 
 Of the music of that land 
 
 Where are spirit laws untold, 
 Precious laws of spirit beauty, 
 
 That have yet to be unrolled. 
 
 Yet we know our hands do strike them 
 
 By the peace that cometh in, 
 Mid surrounding conflagration, 
 
 Mid the cruel, ceaseless din 
 Of the jangled notes of discord 
 
 We ourselves are prone to sound; 
 For when we are trying wisely 
 
 Steals a peace so deep, profound. 
 
 We can hear the notes of discord ; 
 
 But methinks they do not sound 
 To the land of hidden sweetness. 
 
 That no evil there is found, 
 That 'tis only truest music 
 
 That can sound on that sweet shore, 
 Shore from whence the peace is stealing 
 
 To our hearts forevermore. 
 
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Let us seek to live so truly 
 
 That the laws may come to view 
 To a clearer, deeper vision 
 
 That may yet our lives imbue 
 To the end that earthly jargon 
 
 Shall succumb to that sweet peace 
 That from all wild passion's surging, 
 
 Comes to give us sweet release. 
 
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GOD'S MUSIC. 
 
 Listen! A music is sounding unceasingly, 
 
 Ever anon we catch just a strain. 
 'Tis the music of voices, myriads untold. 
 
 Sounding to banish our fears and our pain, 
 Sounding to raise our thoughts on its sweetness 
 
 Back to the Father-love claiming its own. 
 Deep in the heart of Eternal Love resting 
 
 Work we to magic untold, not unknown. 
 Known in the depth where dwelleth His Spirit, 
 
 Are the pulsations of beautiful sound. 
 Sung to the spirit in wonderful notes — 
 
 God's beautiful music, deep and profound. 
 
 i6 
 
THE MYSTIC TOUCH. 
 
 Oh the garments 'round us clinging, 
 Wrought of feeUng's fine-spun strand! 
 
 Out from thence our thoughts are winging 
 Good or ill, on every hand. 
 
 Ah, these garments, soft and saintly. 
 Or with rough and broken thread, 
 
 Are our touch on soul's illusion, 
 Winning, or to fill with dread. 
 
 Aura of experienced action, 
 
 Aura of the soul of dreams, 
 Let thy threads be pure and holy 
 
 As the pure, bright starlight gleams. 
 
 Ah, the clinging, mystic fabric 
 Of our cherished action-loom ! 
 
 Let its touch be as the sunbeam, 
 As the light, dispelling gloom. 
 
 Angel garments, fine and silken, 
 Radiant with the light within. 
 
 Be the aura that encircles. 
 
 Heaven on earth shall then begin. 
 
 n 
 
SILENCE. 
 
 In the silence hear I music of such welcome, soul-sweet 
 sound 
 
 That it lifts my being God-ward on its notes so deep, pro- 
 found. 
 
 Bursting buds sing deep, sweet chorus, while old ocean's 
 billows roar. 
 
 In a glorious diapason, through the silence evermore. 
 
 Songs unsung, are sung in music on the glorious, death- 
 less side 
 
 Of the veil of silence drawn, that no mortal e'er can slide, 
 
 Veil that clings to mortal dreamland, nor has power to 
 screen the soul. 
 
 Veil that rends with homeland music when the angels call 
 the roll. 
 
 Songs unsung to mortal ear, still have power to reach the 
 
 heart ; 
 And the love-songs of deep heart-beats, in the songs above 
 
 have part. 
 And methinks the death-dream silence is but cadence of 
 
 that heart-throb. 
 That majestic, deep, sweet welcome, mingled with the 
 
 earth-side sob. 
 
 i8 
 
O sweet silence, glad we clasp thee, thou to faith art sweet 
 support. 
 
 Thou art link 'twixt earth and heaven ; thou dost clasp in 
 sweet rapport 
 
 Man with that great Over-soul, whence his deepest being 
 flows ; 
 
 For beneath our burdens fleshly, sweet the truth "our 
 Father knows," 
 
 Knows, and fills the brimming silence with the under-tone 
 of love. 
 
 Blends our suffering with his heart-throbs, in the Sym- 
 phony above. 
 
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SOLITUDE. 
 
 When vexing cares that crowd the weary day 
 And jar the mind, with day have passed away, 
 And night has drawn its tranquiHzing veil 
 Afar o'er every hill and lovely dale, 
 How restful 'tis to stand beneath God's stars, 
 Where naught of false concept the vision mars. 
 And, looking to the great, grand depths of space, 
 To feel the Power that holds each orb in place. 
 To know that all our needs and prayers and praise 
 Are sweet to Him, and all our earthly ways 
 May be in orbits blest, marked out by Him 
 Whose ear is never closed, nor eye is dim. 
 And that, while held within those orbits blest, 
 No harm can come, no need of rest 
 From progress' onward flight. 
 
 E'en when earth-powers 
 Do rest through night's encharmed hours. 
 The spirit is not prone, refreshed may be 
 In some majestic solitude of space. 
 Or, in the depth, may see God face to face. 
 
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How grandly, deeply sweet is solitude 
 
 In depth of fragrant, leafy forest shrine 
 
 Where God's sweet-winged choir their notes combine 
 
 With insect hum, and babbling brooks one sees 
 
 Reflecting in their pools, the ferns and trees. 
 
 There is no solitude if that may mean 
 
 A place with active life ne'er felt or seen. 
 
 For God is everywhere. The lily's head 
 
 In nodding beauty, in her colors red 
 
 Speaks of his love who bade her there to grow ; 
 
 The very depth o'erhead of cloudland blue 
 
 Bespeaks us peace from Oversoul so true; 
 
 And crystal depth of colors all combined, 
 
 By its refreshment, tells our God is kind. 
 
 Yes, solitude is only rest from strife, 
 
 Just absence from the weary din of life. 
 
 O solitude most blest, without thy light 
 
 Our saddened star indeed were one dark night 
 
 Of discord's dreams. But with thy mighty aid 
 
 Called in at will, the tides of strife are stayed. 
 
 And, God be praised, we've solitude at hand. 
 
 Forever with us, in sweet silence-land. 
 
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THINE OWN SWEET SONG. 
 
 Strike the great strong chords of nature, 
 
 Give expression to the treasure 
 
 Of the spirit given to thee. 
 
 Be thou glad, or be thou weary, 
 
 Join the music of the spheres. 
 
 Discord follows on our footsteps, 
 
 To divert from lofty flight 
 
 Of the notes of thine own nature, 
 
 Given by God to lead thee home. 
 
 Distance discord by thy music 
 
 Caught from thy divinest dream, — 
 
 Sweet the vision, glad the music. 
 
 For things are not as they seem, — 
 
 Then on wings as eagle's flight 
 
 Thou shalt soar above they ills. 
 
 And, enfolded by the Master, 
 
 Learn thy oneness with Jehovah 
 
 In a harmony of Will, 
 
 And Life's symphony, down-sounding 
 
 Throug-h the Universe of Spirit, 
 
 Shall with bounding life inspire thee. 
 
 Thou shalt sing thine own sweet song. 
 
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SONGS IN THE NIGHT. 
 
 O the solemn, grateful silence 
 
 That can thus evoke our thought, 
 Is with memories tender, holy, 
 
 Of both shade and sunlight, fraught. 
 In the darkness of the starlight 
 
 See we worlds on worlds above 
 Ever kept in their true orbit 
 
 By the great All-Father love ; 
 So although the shadows darken 
 
 All around our untried way, 
 In the darkness sing we sweetly. 
 
 Soon will come the dawning day. 
 
 God has planned that worlds of glory. 
 Timid footsteps shall guide home. 
 
 And amid the songs of angels 
 
 Sound the songs of those who roam. 
 
 Earth has meanings far beyond us, 
 Known but to the sight above ; 
 
 But the very bird-songs round us, 
 And the flowers, prove God is love. 
 
 So although, the earth-clouds lower, 
 And we keenly feel earth's wrongs. 
 
 Through the storm or through the silence 
 Shall arise our grateful songs. 
 
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Wrung from us are songs of sweetness 
 
 At the cost of many a tear. 
 Haunted are we on this earthland 
 
 Till we learn to banish fear, 
 Till we learn to trust the service 
 
 Ever rendered to our feet, 
 On the pathway to the homeland. 
 
 By our guardian angels sweet. 
 
 O our songs are far the sweeter 
 In glad contrast to the tears, 
 
 And that trust and love far dearer 
 That has triumphed over fears. 
 
 So we, walking the earth-pathway, 
 Tribulation's offering bring 
 
 With a humble, grateful gladness. 
 While the sweeter songs we sing. 
 
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A VISION. 
 
 Standing far above the star-gleams, 
 Saw I angels sweet afloat, 
 Starting down with wafted spirit, 
 Sent a message sweet to bring. 
 
 Thought of God sent straight to earthland, 
 
 To material baby-form, 
 This I saw, above the star-gleams. 
 
 Far above earth's wildest storm. 
 
 And I heard them sweetly singing 
 As God's message sped to earth. 
 
 O God's thought, so pure and holy ! 
 Said the earth, "A child has birth." 
 
 And, above the star-gleams yonder, 
 Gazed I down on clouds below, 
 
 And I saw their golden linings 
 Far above earth's drifts of snow. 
 
 And I knew each child-soul trusted 
 With a message for mankind 
 
 Wafted, from above the star-gleams, 
 Down, some earthland home to find. 
 
 Oh the angels sang so sweetly, 
 And the air was peaceful, clear. 
 
 And I said "No wonder babies 
 Are to earthland homes so dear." 
 
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THE COMING CHANGE. 
 
 As great trees bend beneath the force 
 Of the tempest's mighty breath, 
 
 So shrink and cower our comrades dear, 
 Before the thought of "death." 
 
 It is not death, that subtle change 
 When the spirit leaves the clay, 
 
 And glad upsprings to a sweeter realm. 
 But the dawn of a glad new day. 
 
 'Tis freedom from the chains of sense 
 
 To rise to a higher flight ; 
 'Tis a bounding nearer the life-giving Sun, 
 
 Out from the realm of night. 
 
 'Tis the morning beam of a glad new day 
 That breaks o'er the spirit sense 
 
 When the waiting guardian angels say 
 "Arise, my loved, come hence. 
 
 What then affrights us as onward we speed 
 To this one great parting change? 
 
 Is it that the future is held from view, 
 That all will be new and strange? 
 
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Methinks 'tis the shade of our own non-use 
 
 Of the spirit's insight here, 
 That we lack the faith that is ours by right 
 
 And yield to torturous fear. 
 
 The Father's heart is a heart of love. 
 
 He notes the birdlings fall. 
 And we may feel the clasping hand 
 
 That encircles us one and all. 
 
 Then cast away the error thought 
 That hinders our souls' sweet sight, 
 
 And cherish the truth of our Father's heart, 
 And "at eve it shall be light." 
 
 27 
 
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