P R .H5 (2[iIiV\ES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap. Copyr^lit No. ShelfL„:.ii3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. J c ^ 1 V 1^' 1^ ^j' 1 N >^ ^ » ^ 1 L. > ■■ ^v '5 V P y *^ ■^ •2 * ^ jtk N. n 1 i IC51 ^ s ^ 1.5 MARRIAGE CHIMES FOR TRUE LOVERS A COLLECTION OF POEMS ON LOVE MARRIAGE HOME ^ ^ ^ <^ C0JHPILED BY M. C. HAZARD, Ph.D. BOSTON Tlbe pilcjrlm ipreee BEACON STREET ^^V^ r'- Copyright, 1896. J. H. Thwksburv, Agent. a /^-3y^ 7 CONTENTS I LOVE PAGE Fidelity of Love 15 Love's Fulfilling 15 Not a Summer Mood 13 Quotations from Philip James Bailey 5 Elizabeth Barrett Browning 10 Bulwer-Lytton 11 Lord Byron 8 Susan Coolidge 12 Benjamin Disraeli 13 Ralph Waldo Emerson 13 Henry W. Longfellow 5 Johann Christoph Friedrich von vSchiller 9 Sir Walter Scott 7 William Shakespeare 7 Madame de Stael 12 Charles Swain 11 Alfred Tennyson 11 William Makepeace Thackeray 10 Martin Farquhar Tuj)per 12 What Love Is 16 Young Love 14 Contenlg II LOVE'S AVOWAL PAGE A Fair Bargain 29 A Spring- Love Song 31 At the Feet of My Love 30 Ay or No 21 In the Evening Time 23 My Jeanie ^2 Happy Love 21 Ruth 28 The Courtin' o 24 III LOVE'S DEVOTION A Chain 52 A Deathless Flower 52 A Lover's Vow 48 A Red, Red Rose 46 Beauty Unseen 47 Do I Love Thee ? 39 Enduring Love^ ^7 Far Sweeter 49 1 Cannot Help Loving Ttiee '. '. ! r— r — r-"T 45 I Count My Times 40 My Queen 51 My White Rose 44 She Is Coming 38 The Kiss of One Girl 40 The Little Rift 50 The Might of One Fair Face 50 What I Would Ask for Ihee 41 You and I 42 Contents IV MARRIAGE PAGE A Winsome Wee Thing 66 Love's Preludes 64 Now the Rite is Done 58 Our Wedding Day 6^ The Lord's Blessing 61 The Married Lover 65 The Primal Marriage Blessing 59 Two Loves 57 V THE HOME A Golden Day 78 A Phantom of Delight 76 A True Home 74 Home Joys 80 My Wife 79 Not Four Square Walls 70 O Happy House 71 Our Home 72 Respectful Love t — r— : fg" The King and Kingdom 69 We Fell Out yy VI LIFE-LOVERS Never Old ... 89 Summer in the Heart 87 The Wedding Anniversary 89 Thou and I 92 Three Loves in a Life 85 iii I FLOWER MEANINGS. A key to the interpretation of the floral embellishments which appear in this book. Rose = Love. Pink = Pure and ardent affection. Tulip = Declaration of love. Lily- OF-THE- Valley = Return of happiness. Honeysuckle = Devoted affection. Daisy = hmocence. Ivy = Fidelity. Lily = Purity. Woodbine = Fraternal love. Hawthorn = Hope. Bay Leaf ^= I change but in death. Bluebell = Constancy. I Set vie as a seal upon tJiine hearty as a seal upon thine ar77i : For love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love^ Neither can the floods drown it. — Cajit. 8 : 6, 7 LOVE Philip James Bailey A SK not of me, love, what is love ? -^"^ Ask what is good of God above — Ask of the great sun what is light — Ask what is darkness of the night — Ask sin of what may be forgiven — Ask what is happiness of heaven — Ask what is folly of the crowd — Ask what is fashion of the shroud — Ask what is sweetness of thy kiss — Ask of thyself what beauty is. j^ The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love. — Festus The truth of truths is love. — Festus Henry W. Longfellow T T is a dream, sweet child ! a waking -*- dream, A blissful certainty, a vision bright Of that rare happiness, which even on earth Heaven gives to those it loves. — The Spanish Student /Ibarriage Cbimee Love is the root of creation ; God's essence ; worlds without number Lie in his bosom like children ; he made them for this purpose only : Only to love and to be loved again ; he breathed forth His spirit Into the slumbering dust, and upright standing, it laid its Hand on its heart, and felt it was warm with a flame out of heaven. — Children of the Lord''s Supper It is difficult to know at what moment love begins ; it is less difficult to know that it has beo:un. ^ , ^ — Kavanagh Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak. It serves for food and raiment. — The Spanish Studejit So these lives that had run thus far in sep- arate channels. Coming in sight of each other, then swerv- ing and flowing asunder, Parted by barriers strong, but drawing nearer and nearer, Rushed together at last, and one was lost in the other. — Courtship of Alii es St an dish 6 I %ovc Sir Walter Scott Tn peace, Love tunes the shepherd's reed ; -■-In war, he mounts the warrior's steed ; In halls, in gay attire is seen ; In hamlets, dances on the green. Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, And men below, and saints above ; For love is heaven, and heaven is love. — T/ie Lay of the Last Minstrel True love 's the gift which God has given To man alone beneath the heaven. It is the secret sympathy, The silver link, the silken tie. Which heart to heart, and mind to mind, In body and in soul can bind. — The Lay of the Last Minstrel William Shakespeare GOOD shepherd, tell this youth what 't is to love. It is to be all made of sighs and tears ; It is to be all made of faith and service ; It is to be all made of fantasy. — As You Like It /Ibarriatie Cbtmce A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind. A lover's ear will hear the lowest sound. — Loz'e's Labour's Lost Except I be by Sylvia in the night, There is no music in the nightingale. — Two Gentlemen of Verona What ! keep a week away .^ seven days and nights ? Eight-score eight hours ? and lovers' absent hours, More tedious than the dial eight-score times ? Oh, weary reckoning ! _ ^^^^^^^^ Lord Byron A/es, Love indeed is light from heaven ; -*- A spark of that immortal fire With angels shared, by Allah given, To lift from earth our low desire. — The Giaour Oh Love ! young Love ! bound in thy rosy band, Let sage and cynic prattle as he will, These hours, and only these, redeem life's years of ill. — Childe Harold. Ca?ito II %ovc O that the desert were my dwelling-place, With one fair spirit for my minister, That I might all forget the human race, And, hating no one, love but only her ! — Childe Harold, Canto IV She knew she was by him beloved — she knew, For quickly comes such knowledge, that his heart Was darken'd with her shadow. — The Dream She was his life. The ocean to the river of his thoughts. Which terminated all. ^, ^ — The Dream JOHANN ChRISTOPH FrIEDRICH VON Schiller BLESSED through love are the gods — through love Their bliss to ourselves is given ; Heavenlier through love is the heaven above And love makes the earth a heaven. — The Trhimph of Love Love can sun the Realms of Light ! — The Triumpli of Jaw e 9 /nbarda^e Cbimea William Makepeace Thackeray Tt is best to love wisely, no doubt ; but to -^ love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all. „ , — Fendennts Elizabeth Barrett Browning T WOULD not be a rose upon the wall ^ A queen might stop at, near the palace door. To say to a courtier, " Pluck that rose for me. It 's prettier than the rest." O Romney Leigh ! I 'd rather far be trodden by his foot Than lie in a great queen's bosom. — Aurora Leigh Behold me ! I am worthy Of thy loving, for I love thee ! — Lady GeraldtJie^s Cotirtship Then we talked — oh, how we talked ! her voice so cadenced in the talking, Made another singing — of the soul! a music without bars — While the leafy sounds of woodlands, hum- ming round where we were walking, Wrought interposition worthy sweet — as skies above the stars. — Lady Geraldiiie^s Courtship %ovc Alfred Tennyson TovE lieth deep; Love dwells not in ^ ^ * — TAe Lover's Tale Love reflects the thing beloved. — In Memoria7n Love 's too precious to be lost, A little grain shall not be spilt. — hi Memoriam Bulwer-Lytton T OVE has no thought of self ! -■ — ' Love buys not with the ruthless usurer's gold The loathsome prostitution of a hand Without a heart. Love sacrifices all things To bless the thing it loves. — The Lady of Lyons Charles Swain LOVE is not to be bought — 't is of the soul -^ The noblest element, the spirit bond That links the angel with humanity. As well might'st thou attempt to purchase heaven. To vend the stars, make traffic of the skies, Or measure out what is immeasuralile. As count each feeling in the pulse of love. /Ibarriage Cbimes Martin Farquhar Tupper 10VE ! what a volume in a word ! an ocean -^ in a tear ! A seventh heaven in a glance ! a heaven in a sigh ! The lightning in a touch I a millenium in a moment ! What concentrated joy, or woe, in bless'd or. blighted love ! Madame de Stael LOVE is the emblem of etemit}' : it con- -^ founds all notion of time : effaces all memor}- of a beginning, all fear of an end. — Conn fie Love knows no motive, it seems to be a divine power that works and thinks within us, taking entire possession of us. our hav- ing no control over it. ^ SUSAX Coolidge THAXK God for Love : though Love may hurt and wound. Though set with sharpest thorns its rose may be : Roses are not of winter : all attuned Must be the earth, full of soft stir, and free And warm, ere dawns the rose upon its tree. — Benedicam Domino %ovc Benjamin Disraeli ^T /"e are all born for love. It is the ^ ^ principle of existence and its only Ralph Waldo Emerson T ov'E, which is the essence of God, is ^ — ' not for levity, but for the total worth of man. ^p ^r r^ ■ ^ ; -^ — Assay. Of friendship All mankind love a lover. — Essay. Of Love NOT A SUMMER MOOD OH, Love is not a summer mood, Nor flying phantom of the brain, Nor youthful fever of the blood. Nor dream, nor fate, nor circumstance. Love is not born of blinded chance. Nor bred in simple ignorance. Love is the flower of maidenhood ; Love is the fruit of mortal pain ; And she hath winter in her blood. True Love is steadfast as the skies, And once alight she never flies; And Love is strong, and Love is wise. — Richard Jl^afso/i Gilder Carriage Cbimce YOUNG LOVE /^^ SPLENDID sun that shone above ! ^^ O green magnificence of Earth ! I^orn once into that land of love. No life can know a second birth. Dear, boyish heart, that trembled so With bashful fear and fond unrest, — More frightened than a dove, to know Another bird within its nest ! Sharp thrills of doubt, with hopes that came. Fond words addressed, — each word a pang; Then — hearts baptized with heavenly flame. How like the morning stars ye sang ! Love bound ye with his holiest link, The faith in each that asks no more. And led ye from the sacred brink Of mysteries he held in store. Love led ye, children, from the bowers Where Strength and Beauty find his crown : Ye were not ripe for mortal flowers ; (lod's angel brought an amaranth down. — Bnviird Taylor I %ovc E FIDELITY OF LOVE ET me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alterations finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh, no ! it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests, and is never shaken. It is the star to every wandering bark. Whose worth 's unknown, although his height be taken. Love 's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come ; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error, and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. — Shakespeare^ Sonnet cx7>i LOVE'S FULFILLING OH, Love is weak Which counts the answers and the gains, Weighs all the losses and the pains, And eagerly each fond word drains A joy to seek. /Iftarria^e Cbimee When Love is strong It never tarries to take heed, Or know if its return exceed Its gift; in its sweet haste no greed, No strifes belong. It hardly asks If it be loved at all ; to take So barren seems, when it can make Such bliss, for the beloved's sake, Of bitter tasks. Its ecstasy Could find death so beauteous. It sees through tears how Christ loved us. And speaks, in saying " I love thus," No blasphemy. So much we miss If Love is weak, so much we gain If Love is strong, God thinks no pain Too sharp or lasting to ordain To teach us this. — Helen Hitnt Jackso7i WHAT LOVE IS LOVE is not made of kisses, or of sighs, ■^ Of clinging hands, or of the sorceri And subtle witchcrafts of alluring eyes. A %ovc Love is not made of broken whispers ; no ! Nor of the blushing cheek, whose answer- ing glow Tells that the ear has heard the accents low. Love is not made of tears, nor yet of smiles. Of quivering lips, or of enticing wiles : Love is not tempted ; he himself beguiles. This is Love's language, but this is not Love. If we know aught of Love, how shall we dare To say that this is Love, when well aware That these are common things, and Love is rare? As separate streams may, blending, ever roll In course united, so, of soul to soul, Love is the best union of the whole. As molten metals mingle ; as a chord Swells in sweet harmony ; when Love is Lord, Two hearts are one, as letters form a word. One heart, one mind, one soul, and one desire, A kindred fancy, and a sister fire Of thought and passion ; these can Love inspire. This makes a heaven of. earth ; for this is Love. /-/ / » A / >7 And still, when a pair of lovers meets There "s a sweet?tess in the atr, unearthly sioeet^ That savors still of that happy retreat Where Eve by Adam was courted. Whilst the joyous thrush and the gentle dove Woo^d their inates in the boughs above. And the serpent^ as yet, only sported. — Thomas Hood, ''Miss Kilitiansegg''^ LOVE'S AVOWAL AY OR NO 11 There is another sweet as my sweet, ^ ^ Fine of the fine, and shy of the shy ? Fine little hands, fine little feet — Dewy blue eye ! wShall I write to her?, shall I go ? Ask her to marry me by and by ? Somebody said that she 'd say No ; Somebody knows that she '11 say Ay ! Ay or No, if asked to her face ? Ay or No, from shy of the shy ? Go, little letter, apace, apace, Fly! Fly to the light in the valley below — Tell my wish to her dewy blue eye : Somebody said that she 'd say No ; Somebody knows that she '11 say Ay ! — Alfred ToDiysoi o HAPPY lovp: "O UT hark ! a rap comes gently to the door. ^-^ Jenny, wha kens the meaning o' the same, Tells how a neebor lad cam o'er the moor, To do some errands, and convoy her hame. /IbartiaGC Cbimce The wily mother sees the conscious flame Sparkle in Jenny's e'e. and flush her cheek : Wi* heart-struck anxious care, inquires his name. While Jenny haflfiins is afraid to speak: Weel pleased the mother hears it 's nae wild, worthless rake. Wi' kindly welcome Jenny brings him ben. A strappan youth ; he takes the mother's eye : Blithe Jenny sees the visit 's no ill ta'en : The father cracks of horses, pleughs and kye : The youngster's artless heart o'erflows with joy, But blate and laithfu*. scarce can weel be- have. The mother, wi" a woman's wiles, can spy What makes the youth sae bashfu* and sae grave : Weel pleased to think her bairn 's respected like the lave. O happy love I where love like this is found ! heartfelt raptures ! bliss beyond compare ! 1 've paced this weary mortal round. And sage experience bids me this declare : — ••If heaven a draught of heavenly pleasure spare. One cordial in this melancholv vale, %ovc'e Bvowal 'Tis when a youthful, loving, modest pair In other's arms breathe out the tender tale Beneath the milk-white thorn that scents the evening gale." — From Burns' " Cottar's Saturday Night " IN THE EVENING TIME ' I ^OGETHER we walked in the evening time, Above us the sky spread golden and clear. And he bent his head and looked in my eyes. As if he held me of all most dear. Oh, it was sweet in the evening time ! Grayer the light grew and grayer still. The rooks flitted home through the purple shade; The nightingales sang where the thorns stood high. As I walked with him in the woodland glade. Oh, it was sweet in the evening time ! And our pathway went through fields of wheat ; Narrow that path and rough the way, But he was near, and the birds sang true, And the stars came out in the twilight gray. Oh, it was sweet in the evening time ! 23 Softly he spoke of the days long past Softly of blessed days to be ; Close to his arm and closer I prest. The cornfield path was Eden to me. Oh. it was sweet in the evening time ! And the latest gleams of daylight died : My hand in his enfolded lay : We swept the dew from the wheat as we passed. For narrower, narrower, wound the way. Oh, it was sweet in the evening time ! He looked in the depth of my eyes, and said, •• Sorrow and gladness will come for us. sweet : But together we 11 walk through the fields of life. Close as we walked through the fields of wheat" , ^ ^ G THE COURTIX* )D makes sech nights, all white and still Fur "z you can look or listen. Moonshine an* snow on field an' hilL All silence an' all glisten. 24 %ovc'6 Bvowal Zekle crep' up, quite unbeknown, An' peeked in thru' the winder, An' there sot Huldy all alone, 'Ith no one nigh to hender. 7^ T^ ¥^ "yf: ^ The very room, coz she was in, Seemed warm from floor to ceilin\ An' she looked full ez rosy agin Ez the apples she was peelin' 'Twas kin' o' kingdom-come to look On sech a blessed cretur, A dogrose blushin' to a brook Ain't modester nor sweeter. He was six foot o' man, A i, Clean grit an' human natur' ; None couldn't quicker pitch a ton Nor dror a furrer straighter. He 'd sparked it with full twenty gals. Had squired 'em, danced 'em, druv' 'em, Fust this one, an' then thet, by spells — All is, he couldn't love 'em. But long o' her his veins 'ould run All crinkly like curled maple; The side she breshed felt full o' sun Ez a south slope in Ap'il. /IRarria^e Cbimee She thought no v'ice hed sech a swing Ez hisn in the choir ; My! when he made Ole Hunderd ring, She kjiowed the Lord was nigher. An' she blushed scarlit, right in prayer, When her new meetin' bunnet Felt somehow thru' its crown a pair O' blue eyes set upon it. Thet night, I tell ye, she looked some / She seemed to 've got a new soul. For she felt sartin-sure he 'd come, Down to her very shoe-sole. She heered a foot, an' knowed it tu, A raspin' on the scraper, — All ways to once her feelin's flew Like sparks in burnt-up paper. He kin' o' I'itered on the mat. Some doubtfle o' the sekle, His heart kep' goin' pity-pat, But hern went pity Zekle. An' yit she gin her cheer a jerk Ez though she wished him furder. An' on her apples kep' to work, Parin' away like murder. 26 %ovc'e Browal " You want to see my Pa, I s'pose ? '" " Wal .... no ... . I come designin' " "To see my Ma? She's sprinklin' clo'es Agin to-morrer's i'nin'." To say why gals acts so or so, Or do n't, 'ould be presumin'; Mebby to mean j^j- an' say 7io Comes nateral to wimmin. He stood a spell on one foot fust, Then stood a spell on t'other, An' on which one he felt the wust He couldn't ha' told ye nuther. Says he, " I 'd better call agin " ; Says she, " Think likely, Mister " ; Thet last word pricked him like a pin, An' Wal, he up an' kist her. When Ma bimeby upon 'em slips, Huldy sot pale ez ashes. All kin' o' smily roun' the lips An' teary roun' the lashes. For she was jes' the quiet kind Whose naturs never vary, Like streams that keep a summer mind Snowhid in Jenooary. it^arnaMC Cbimcr The blood dost roun' her heart felt glued Too tight for all expressin*. Till mother see how matters stood. And gin 'em both her blessin'. Then her red come back like the tide Down to the Bay o' Fimdy. An' all I know is they was cried In meetin* come next Sunday. — Jam€s Russell Lawcli RUTH SHE stood breast high amid the conu Clasped by the golden light of mom. Like the sweetheart of the sun. WTio manv a g^lowincr kiss had won. On her cheek an autumn flush. Deeply ripened. — such a blush In the midst of brown was bom. Like red poppies grown with com. Round her eyes her tresses fell : WTiich were blackest none could telL But long lashes veiled a light. That had else been all too bric^ht. TLovc'6 Bvovval And her hat, with shady brim, Made her tressy forehead dim ; — Thus she stood among the stocks, Praising God with sweetest looks : Sure, I said, heaven did not mean Where I reap thou shouldst but glean ; Lay thy sheaf adown and come, Share my harvest and my home. — Thomas Hood A FAIR BARGAIN IV /Ty true love hath my heart, and I have ^^ ^ his, By just exchange one to the other given : I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss : There never was a better bargain driven : My true love hath my heart, and I have his. His heart in me keeps him and me in one, My heart in him his thought and senses guides : He loves my heart, for once it was his own, I cherish his because in me it bides : My true love hath my heart, and I have — Sir PJiilip Sid) icy 29 AT THE FEET OF MY LOVE A SONG — to lay at the feet of My Love. — ^^^ Something that when the singing is done. And the singer himself hath passed away. May recall the voice of the absent one And the whispered love of a vanished day. — This would I lav at the feet of Mv Love. A rose — to lay at the feet of My Love. To live in her hair for just as long As my singing may linger about her heart. But whose petals shall keep, as shall the song. Their sweetness when color and voice de- part. — This will I lav at the feet of Mv Love. A heart — to lay at the feet of My Love ! To leave it there in its simple truth. Not for a day. not for a day. Strong to endure when the heat of youth And cold mid-age shall have passed away. — Such heart I lay at the feet of My Love! — Hamilton Aide 30 %ovc'B Bvowal A SPRING-LOVE SONG Whp:x the earth is waking at the voice of May, The new grass brightens by the trodden way, The woods wave welcome to the sweet spring day. And the sea is growing summer bkie ; But fairer, sweeter than the smiHng sky, Or bashful violet with tender eye. Is she whose love will never die, — I love you, darling, only you ! Oh, friendships falter when misfortunes frown. The blossoms vanish when the leaves turn brown. The shells lie stranded when the tide goes down, But you, dear heart, are ever true. The grass grows greenest when the rain drops fall, The vine clasps closest to the crumbling wall, — So love blooms sweetest under sorrow's thrall,— I love you, darling, only you ! 31 /nbarriatie Cbimee The early robin may forget to sing. The loving mosses may refuse to cling Or the brook to tinkle at the call of spring, But you, dear heart, are ever true. Let the silver mingle with your curls of gold, Let the years grow dreary and the world wax old. But the love I bear you will ne'er grow cold, - I love you, darling, only you ! — Elizabeth Akers MY JEANIE THOU hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie, By that pretty white hand of thine. And by a' the lowing stars in heaven. That thou wad aye be mine. And I hae sworn by my God, my Jeanie. And by that kind heart of thine, By a' the stars sown thick owre heaven. That thou shalt aye be mine. Then foul fa' the hands that wad loose sic bands. And the heart that wad part sic love ! But there 's na hand can loose my band, But the finger of Him abuve. %ovc*e Bvowal Though the wee, wee cot maun be my bield, And my clai thing ne'er sae mean, I wad lap me rich i' the faulds of luve, — Heaven's armfu' o' my Jean. Her white arm wad be a pillow for me, Fu' saf ter than the down : And luve wad winnow owre us his kind, kind wings. And sweetly I 'd sleep, and soun'. Come here to me, thou lass o' my luve ! Come here and kneel wi' me ! The morn is fu' o' tlie presence of God, And I canna pray without thee. /(?^7 — Allan Citntii/ii^^/idfu 33 1 mmmmmm f^^m^fr^r-w-r-^ ■^'^ ~ ■■ '--r^'^m':* J' r* "^ \> r^^ Thou hast raz'isk^d my hearty my sister^ my bridi; Thou hast ravished my heart 7£*ith one look from thine eyes^ With one chain of thy neck. Ho^ fair is thy ioz'e^ my sister^ my bride' //o7tf much better is thy lore than 7oine! And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices ! Thy lips, O my bride, drop as the honey- comb : Honey and milk are under thy tongue ; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. ^ ^ •' — Cant. 4 : q-ii Thou art beautiful, O my lore, as Tirzah, Comely as ferusalem. Terrible as an army 7oith banners. Turn away thine eyes from me. For they hare orercome me. — Cant. 6: 4, s I 36 LOVE'S DEVOTION Nevermore Alone upon the threshold of my door Of individual life, I shall command The uses of my soul, nor lift my hand Serenely in the sunshine as before, Without the sense of that which 1 for- bore — Thy touch upon the palm. The widest land Doom takes to part us, leaves thy heart in mine Witli pulses that beat double. What I do And what I dream include thee, as the wine Must taste of its own grapes. And when I sue (iod for myself, he hears that name of thine. And sees within my eyes the tears o{ two. — Klizalh'lli J^anrtt /hoicfii/n^- B ENDURING LOVE iCLiicx'!-: me, if all those eiuU'ariniJ younu; charms, W'hic h I tj;aze on so I'ondl) today. /fcarnacic Cbimc6 Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms. Like fairy gifts fading away. That thou would'st still be adored, as this moment thou art. Let thy loveliness fade as it will. And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantlv still. 1 1 is not while beaut}- and youth are thine own. And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear. That the fer\'or and faith of a soul may be known. To which time will but make thee more dear ! Oh, the heart that has trulv loved never for- gets. But as truly loves on to the close. As the sunflower turns to her god when he sets The same look which she turned when he rose I Ti ^r — I nofftas Moore SHE IS COMIXc; •T^HERE has fallen a splendid tear ^ From the passion-flower at the gate. She is coming, my dove, my dear : She is cominjj, mv life, mv fate: %ox>c'6 Devotion The red rose cries, " She is near, she is near!" And the white rose weeps, " She is late " ; The larkspur listens, " I hear, I hear"; And the lily whispers, " I wait." She is coming, my own, my sweet ; Were it ever so fairy a tread. My heart would hear her and beat, Were it earth in an earthy bed ; My dust would hear her and beat, Had I lain for a century dead ; Would start and tremble under her feet, And blossom in purple and red. — Tennysoii's " Mand " DO I LOVE THEE? TAo I love thee ? Ask the bee ^-^ If she loves the flowery lea, Where the honeysuckle blows. And the fragrant clover grows. As she answers, Yes or No, Darling, take my answer so. Do I love thee? Ask the l)ird When her matin song is heard. If she loves the sky so fair. Fleecy cloud and licpiid air. As she answers. Yes or No, Darling, take my answer so. A /Iftarriacic Gbtmes Do I love thee ? Ask the flower If she loves the vernal shower. Or the kisses of the sun, Or the dew when day is done. As she answers, Yes or No, Darling, take my answer so. THE KISS OF ONE GIRL LL the breath and the bloom of the year in the bag of one bee ; All the wonder and wealth of the mine in the heart of one gem ; In the core of one pearl all the shade and the shine of the sea : lireath and bloom, shade and shine, — won- der, wealth, and — how far above them — Truth, that's brighter than gem. Trust, that 's purer than pearl, — 1 brightest truth, purest trust in tlie universe — all were for me In tlie kiss of one girl. — Rolwrt Brinvnini:^ I COUNT MY TIMES T COUNT my times by times I meet thee ; -■- These are my yesterdays, my morrows, noons And nights; these m\' old moons and mv new moons. 40 ILovc'6 5)evotlon Slow fly the hours, or fast the hours do flee, If thou art far from or art near to me : If thou art far, the birds' tunes are no tunes ; If thou art near, the wintry days are Junes, — Darkness is light, and sorrow cannot be. Thou art my dream come true, and thou my dream, The air I breathe, the world wherein I dwell ; My journey's end thou art, and thou the way ; Thou art what I would be, yet only seem. — Richard Watson Gilder WHAT I WOULD ASK P^OR THEE A T 7hat would I ask for thee, wish for ^ ^ thee, Sweet ? Skies that are peaceful and calm ? Seas that are stormless, and winds that are soft As the low breath of a psalm ? No, as I love thee, I ask not that life Be from all bitterness free ; Something of sunshine and something of strife, Dear One, is better for thee. /Hbarriacjc Cbimce Yet would I ask for thee out of my love More of its sunshine than storm, With just enough of life's shadow and strife To keep thy heart tender and warm ; Faith to look upward in gladness or gloom, Hope 'mid the direst defeat Strength in all sorrow, and patience in pain, — These would I ask for thee, Sweet. These and yet more would I ask for thee. Sweet, — Grace to be faithful and strong. Meekness to bear all thy crosses and care. Courage to battle with wrong. May the good angels, who watch o'er the good, C}uide thy dear feet as they roam. And in the land that is better than this Give thee forever a home ! YOU AND I ' I ^HE winter wind is wailing, sad and low, ^ Across the lake and through the rust- ling sedge ; The splendor of the golden afterglow Gleams through the blackness of the great yew hedge ; %ovc's Devotion And this I read on earth and in the sky : We ought to be together, You and I. Rapt through its rosy changes into dark, Fades all the west ; and through the shadowy trees. And in the silent uplands of the park, Creeps the soft sighing of the breeze. It does but echo to my weary sigh. We ought to be together, You and I. My hand is lonely for your clasping, dear ; My ear is tired, waiting for your call; I want your strength to help, your laugh to cheer ; Heart, soul and senses need you, one and all. I droop without your full frank sympathy ; We ought to be together. You and I. We want each other so, to comprehend The dream, the hope, things planned, or seen or wrought ; Companion, comforter, and guide, and friend ; As much as love asks love, does thought need thought. Life is so short, so fast the lone hours fly, We ought to be together. You and I. /I^arria^e Cbimee MY WHITE ROSE npKUE. 'tis only a rose ^ But her leaves are white. And her heart is sweet. And she lives and grows — P^or me I My Rose may seem less fair To other eyes than mine : She may not be sweet. She may not be pure — To all. There are some little thorns Quite hidden from view : If they were not there. She would not be here — For long. All have more or less pain And sorrow and care : But the sunlight comes. And the smiles return — In time. One thing I surely know. That when I am sad, And need help the most, She whispers ofttimes To me : %ovc'e Devotion So I go on my way, My load less a load ; — Her hand in His, and Mine in hers, my sweet White Rose. - Anofi . I CANNOT HELP LOVING THEE Tf the apple grows on the apple tree, -■- And the wild wind blows o'er the wild- wood free. And the deep stream flows to the deeper sea; And they cannot help growing, and blow- ing, and flowing, I cannot help loving thee. But if wild winds blew no more on the lea. And no blossoms grew on the healthy tree, And the river untrue escaped to the sea. And they all had ceased growing, and blowing, and flowing, I 'd never cease loving thee. And till that hour in the day or night, In the field or bower, in the dark or light. In the fruit or flower, in the bloom or blight. In my reaping or sowing. \w\ coming oi- going, I 11 never cease loving thee. — Anon. 45 /Iftarriacic Cbimes How do I love thee ? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love to the level of every day's IVIost quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life ! and, if God choose, I shall love thee better after death. — Elizabeth Barrett Browuiiv^ A RED, RED ROSE OH, my luve 's like a red, red rose, That 's newly sprung in June ! Oh, my luve 's like the melodie That 's sweetly played in tune ! As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I ; 46 %ovc'e 5)evotlon And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry. Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi' the sun, And I will luve thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run. — Robert Burns BEAUTY UNSEEN LOVE took me softly by the hand, -^ Love led me all the country o'er, And showed me beauty in the land. That I had never seen before — Never before — never before — O Love, sweet Love ! There was a glory in the morn, There was a calmness in the night, A mildness in the south wind borne, That I have never felt aright. Never aright — never aright — O Love, sweet Love ! But now it cannot pass away — I feel it whereso'er I go. And in my heart l)y night and day Its gladness moveth to and fro; By night and day — by night and day — O Love, sweet Love ! — A II 0)1. 47 /nbarrtase Cbtmea A LOVER'S VOW To my room I went, and closed and locked the door, And cast myself down on my bed, And there, with many a blissful tear, I vowed to love and prayed to wed The maiden who had grown so dear; Thanked God who had set her in my path : And promised, as I hoped to win I never would sully my faith By the least selfishness or sin ; Whatever in her sight I 'd seem, I 'd really be ; I 'd never blend With my delight in her a dream 'T would change her cheek to comprehend : And, if she wished it, I 'd prefer Another's to my own success ; And always seek the best for her With unofficious tenderness. Rising, I breathed a brighter clime, And found myself all self above. And, with a charity sublime. Contemned not those who did not love ; And I could not but feel that then I shone with something of her grace, And went forth to my fellow men, My commendation in my face. — Coventry Patmore, " TJie Angel in the Ilotise " 48 %ovc'6 Devotion FAR SWEETER STRANGE ! that one lightly-whispered tone Is far, far sweeter unto me. Than all the sounds that kiss the earth, Or breathe along the sea ; But, lady, when thy voice I greet, Not heavenly music seems so sweet. I look upon the fair blue skies, And naught but empty air I see ; But when I turn me to thine eyes. It seemeth unto me Ten thousand angels spread their wings Within those little azure rings. The lily hath the softest leaf That ever western breeze hath fanned. But thou shalt have the tender flower, So I may take thy hand ; That little hand to me doth yield More joy than all the broidered field. O lady ! there be many things That seem right fair, below, above ; But sure not one among them all Is half so sweet as love ; — Let us not pay our vows alone, But join two altars both in one. — Oliver Wendell Jlolmes 49 /Bbairiatic Cbimc^ THE LITTLE RIFT Tx Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours. ^ Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers : L' nfaith in' aught is want of faith in all. It is the little rift within the lute That by and by will make the music mute. And ever widening slowly silence all. The little rift within the lover's lute. Or little speck in garnered fruit. That rotting inward slowly moulders all. It is not worth the keeping : let it go : But shall it.^ answer, darling: answer. No. And trust me not at all or all in all. — Alf^'cd Tennyson THE MIGHT OF ONE FAIR FACE THE might of one fair face sublimes my love. For it hath weaned my heart from low desires : Nor death I heed, nor purgatorial fires. Thy beauty, antepast of joys above, Instructs me in the bliss that saints approve: For oh, how good, how beautiful, must be The God that made so good a thing as thee, So fair an image of the heavenly Dove ! %ovc'e Devotion Forgive me, if I cannot turn away From those sweet eyes that are my earthly heaven ; For they are guiding stars, benignly given To tempt my footsteps to the upward way ; And if I dwell too fondly in thy sight, I live and love in God's peculiar light. — Michael Angela, tr. by Hartley Coleridge MY QUEEN WHAT you do Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I 'd have you do it ever; when you sing, I 'd have you buy and sell so, so give alms, Pray so; and, for the ordering of your affairs. To sing them too ; when you do dance, 1 wish you A wave of the sea, that you might ever do Nothing but that ; move still, still so. And own no other function. Each your doing, So singular in each particular. Crowns what you are doing in the present deed. That all your acts are queens. — Shakespeare, " TJic JVintrrs 7\ilr'' /ftarnauc Cbimce A DEATHLESS FLOWER 'V/es. hope may with my strong desire keep ^ pace. And I be undeluded, imbetrayed : For if of our affections none find grace In sight of heaven, then wherefore hath God made The world which we inhabit ? Better plea Love cannot have than that in loving thee Glor\- to that eternal peace is paid, WTio such di\"init}- to thee imparts As hallows and makes pure all gende hearts. His hope is treacherous only whose love dies With beaut}% which is varying ever}- hour : But in chaste hearts, uninfluenced by the power Of out\vard change, there blooms a death- less flower. That breathes on earth the air of Paradise. — Michael Angela, tr. by William Wordsworth A CHAIN TT^HE bond that links our souls together. -■- Will it last through stormy weather ? W^ill it moulder and decay As the long hours pass away? Xove'0 Devotion Will it stretch if Fate divide us, When dark and weary hours have tried us? Oh, if it look too poor and slight. Let us break the links to-night ! Yet what no mortal hand could make, No mortal power can ever break ; What words or vows could never do. No words or vows can make untrue ; And, if to other hearts unknown, The dearer and the more our own, Because too sacred and divine For other eyes, save thine and mine. And see ! though slender, it is made Of Love and Trust ; and can they fade ? While, if too slight it seem to bear The breathings of the summer air. We know that it could bear the weight Of a most heavy heart of late. And as each day and hour flew The stronger for its burthen grew. And, too, we know and feel again It has been sanctified l)y pain ; For what (iod deigns to try with sorrow He means not to decay to-morrow ; 53 /nbarnac^c Cbimee But through that fiery trial last. When earthly ties and bonds are past ; What slighter things dare not endure Will make our Love more safe and pure. Love shall be purified by Pain, And Pain be soothed by Love again : So let us now take heart and go Cheerfully on through joy and woe. No change the summer sun can bring, Or the inconstant skies of spring, Or the bleak winter's stormy weather, For we shall meet them. Love, together ! — Adelaide Anne P)'octer A)id iJic Lord God said. It is not good tJiat the niati should be alone; I ivill make him an help meet for him. . . . Therefore shall a man leave his father and his jnother., and shall cleai'e unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. — Gen. 2 : i8, 24. I/ave ye not read., that he which made them from the beginning made them male ajid female., and said, For this caiise shall a man leave his fatJier and mother., and shall clea7>e to his wife; and the twain shall become one flesh ? So that they are no 7?iore tzoain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together., let not man put asunder. — Matt, ig : 4-6. There was a marriage in Cana . . . a//d fesus also zvas bidden., and his disciples., to the marriage. — fohn 2 : /, 2. 56 MARRIAGE AND on her lover's arm she leant, And round her waist she felt it fold, And far across the fields she went In that new world which is the old. And o'er the hills, and far away Beyond their Utmost purple rim, Beyond the night, across the day, Thro' all the world she followed him. — Te7inyson^s " The Day-Dreain " TWO LOVES Two Loves came up a long, wide aisle, And knelt at a low, white gate ; One, tender and true, with the shyest smile. One, strong, true and elate. Two lips spoke in a firm, true way, And two lips answered soft and low ; In one true hand such a little hand lay Fluttering, frail as a flake of snow. One stately head bent humbly there. Stilled with the throbbings of human love ; 57 Aarria^c Cbimc6 One head drooped down like a lily fair ; Two prayers went wing to wing, above. God blessed them both in the holy place : A long, brief moment, the rite was done ; On the human love fell the heavenly grace. Making tv\'0 hearts forever one. Between two lengthening rows of smiles. — One sweetly shy. one proud, elate. — Two Loves passed down the long, wide aisles. Will they ever forget the low. white gate ? — A Jam Joseph Ryan NOW THE RITE IS DONE NOW the rite is duly done. Now the word is spoken. And the spell has made us one Which may ne'er be broken : Rest we. dearest in our home, — Roam we o'er the heather. — We shaU rest and we shall roam. Shall we not ? together. From this hour the summer rose Sweeter breathes to charm us ; From this hour the winter snows Lighter fall to harm us : 5^ IJ /iRarrta^e Fair or foul, on land or sea, Come the wind or weather, Best or worst, whate'er they be, We shall share together. Death, who friend from friend can part, Brother rend from brother. Shall but link us, heart and heart, Closer to each other : We will call his anger play, Deem his dart a feather. When we meet him on our way Hand in hand together. — Winthrop Mackwo7'th P^'cied THE PRIMAL MARRIAGE BLESSING "-A threefold cord is not quickly broken^ — EccL 4 : 12. ' I ^HE voice that breathed o'er Eden, ^ That earliest wedding-day. The primal marriage blessing. Hath never passed away. Still in the pure espousal Of Christian man and maid, The holy Three are with us, Tlie threefold jj^race is said. 59 /nbarrtage Cbimes Be present, awful Father, To give away this bride, As Eve thou gav'st to Adam Out of his own pierced side : Be present, Son of Mary, To join their loving hands. As thou didst bind two natures In thine eternal bands : Be present, holiest Spirit, To bless them as they kneel, As thou for Christ, the Bridegroom, The heavenly Spouse doth seal. Oh, spread thy pure wing o'er them. Let no ill power find place. When onward to thine altar The hallowed path they trace. To cast their crowns before thee In perfect sacrifice, Till to the home of gladness With Christ's own Bride they rise. Amen. July 12, 1857. —John KebU THE LORD'S BLESSING T Tow welcome was the call, ^ ^ And sweet the festal lay, When Jesus deigned in Cana's hall To bless the marriage-day ! And happy was the bride. And glad the bridegroom's heart, For He who tarried at their side Bade grief and ill depart. His gracious power divine The water vessels knew ; And plenteous was the mystic wine The wondering servants drew. O Lord of life and love, Come thou again to-day, And bring a blessing from above That ne'er shall pass away. Oh, bless, as erst of old, The Ijridegroom and the bride ; Bless with the holier stream that flowed Forth from thy pierced side ! Before thine altar-throne This mercy we implore ; As thou dost knit them. Lord, in one, So bless them evermore. Amen. 1861. — Sir Henry Williams Baker /Rbarrlatic Cbimce EVEN in the happiest choice, where favVing heaven Has equal love and easy fortune given, Think not, the husband gained, that all is done ; The prize of happiness must still be won : And oft the careless find it to their cost, The lover in the husband may be lost: The graces might alone his heart allure ; They and the virtues meeting must secure. — Lo7'd Lyttleton OH, life is not perfect with Love's first kiss ; Who would win the blessing must wrestle ; And the deeper the sorrow, the dearer the bliss. That in its rich core may nestle ! Our angels oft greet us in tearful guise. And our saviors come in sorrow ; While the murkiest midnight that frowns from the skies Is at heart a radiant to-morrow ! We laugh and we cry, we sing and we sigh. And life will have wintry weather ! So we '11 hope, and love on, since you, love, and I Are husband and wife together. — Gerald Massey 62 OUR WEDDING DAY I " Tt was our wedding day -■- A month ago," dear heart, I hear you say. If months, or years, or ages since have passed, I know not : I have ceased to question Time. I only know that once there pealed a chime Of joyous bells, and then I held you fast, And all stood back, and none my right denied, And forth we walked : the world was free and wide Before us. Since that day 1 count my life : the Past is washed away. II It was no dream, that vow : It was the voice that woke me from a dream, — A happy dream, I think ; but I am wak- ing now. And drink the splendor of a sun supreme That turns the mist of former tears to gold. Within these arms I hold The fleeting promise, chased so long in vain : /IRarriacie Cbimee Ah, weary bird ! thou wilt not fly again ; Thy wings are clipped, thou canst no more depart, — Thy nest is builded in my heart. Ill I was the crescent ; thou The silver phantom of the perfect sphere Held in its bosom : in one glory now Our lives united shine, and many a year — Not the sweet moon of the bridal only — we One lustre, ever at the full shall be: One pure and rounded light, one planet whole. One life developed, one completed soul ! For I in thee, and thou in me. Unite our cloven halves of destiny. — Bayard Taylor LOVE^S PRELUDES I SHOULD be happy." with a look Towards her husband where he lay. Lost in the pages of his book, Soft did she say. " I am. and yet no lot below For one whole day eludeth care ; To marriage all the stories flow And finish there ; 64 Carriage '• As if with marriage came the end. The entrance into settled rest, The calm to which love's tossings tend, The quiet breast. • For me love played the low preludes, Yet life began but with the ring, Such infinite solicitudes Around it cling." — /e^77i Inge low THE MARRIED LOVER T T Thy, having won her, do I woo ? ^ ^ Because her spirit's vestal grace Provokes me always to pursue, But, spirit like, eludes embrace ; Because her womanhood is such That, as on court-days subjects kiss The queen's hand, yet so near a touch Affirms no mean familiarness, — Nay, rather marks more fair the height Which can with safety so neglect To dread, as lower ladies might, That grace should meet with disrespect : Thus she with happy favor feeds Allegiance from a Love so high That thence no false conceit proceeds, Of difference bridged, or state put by ; ^^5 /Iftarrtacje Cbtmes Because, although in act and word As lowly as a wife can be, Her manners, when they call me lord. Remind me 't is by courtesy ; Not with her least consent of will. Which would my proud affection hurt. But by the noble style that still Imputes an unattained desert. — Coventry Patni07-e A WINSOME WEE THING SHE is a winsome wee thing, She is a handsome wee thing. She is a bonnie wee thing. This sweet wee wife o' mine. I never saw^ a fairer, I never lo'ed a dearer, And neist my heart I'll wear her, For fear my jewel tine. The world's wrack we share o' t; The warstle and the care o' t ; Wi' her I '11 blithely bear it, And think my lot divine. — Robert Ihi)-}is '^jSm^'PL Let the husband render wito the wife her due: and liketoise also the 7i>ife iDito the hus- band. — / Cor. 7 ; j>. Husbafids, loi'e your wives ^ eve^i as Christ also loved the chicrch, and gave himself up for it ; . . . Even so ought husbatids also to love their own wives as their ow7i bodies. He that loveth his own wife loz>eth himself : for no man ever hated his oivn flesh ; but nourish- eth and cherish eth it, even as Christ also the church. — Eph. 5 ; ^5, 28, 2g. Stre7igth a7id dignity are her clothing ; And she laugheth at the time to come. She ope net h her inoutJi with wisdom ; And the law of ki7idness is 07i her to7igue. She looketh well to the ivays of her household, A7id eateth 71 ot the bread of idle7iess. Her childre7i rise up, a7id call her blessed ; Her Jiusba7id also, and he praiseth her. — Fro7'. J 1 : 2^-28 68 THE HOME THE KING AND KINGDOM r^ARK is the night, and fitful and drearily -*--^ Rushes the wind like the waves of the sea : Little care I, as here I sit cheerily, Wife at my side and my baby on knee. King, king, crown me the king : Home is the kingdom, and love is the king ! Flashes the firelight upon the dear faces, Dearer and dearer as onward we go. Forces the shadow behind us, and places Brightness around us with warmth in the glow. King, king, crown me the king : Home is the kingdom, and love is the kin«: ! Flashes the lovelight, increasing the glory. Beaming from bright eyes with warmth of the soul, 6y /IRarriacje Gbimee Telling of trust and content the sweet story. Lifting the shadows that over us roll. King, king, crown me the king : Home is the kingdom, and love is the king ! Richer than miser with perishing treasure. Served with a service no conquest could bring ; Happy with fortune that words cannot measure, Light-hearted I on the hearthstone can sing, King, king, crown me the king : Home is the kingdom, and love is the king ! — Willi a 7)1 Rankin Dnryea NOT FOUR SQUARE WALLS T Tome 's not merely four square walls, *- ^ Though with pictures hung and gilded: Home is where affection calls. Filled with shrines the heart hath builded ! Home ! go watch the faithful dove. Sailing 'neath the heaven above us: Home is where there 's one to love ! Home is where there 's one to love us ! I ^be Home Home 's not merely roof and room : It needs something to endear it; Home is where the heart can bloom, Where there 's some kind heart to cheer it ! What is home with none to meet, None to welcome, none to greet us ? Home is sweet, and only sweet. When there 's one we love to meet us I — Charles Swain O HAPPY HOUSE " O selig Hatis, wo ma7i Dich aitfgeno7nvie7i.'''' HAPPY house ! where man and wife o in heart, In faith, and hope are one. That neither life nor death can part The holy union here begun ; Where both are sharing one salvation, And live before thee. Lord, always, In gladness or in tribulation. In happy or in evil days. O happy house! whose little ones are given Early to thee, in faith and prayer,- — Carriage Cbimes To thee, their Friend, who from the heights of heaven Guards them with more than mother's care. O happy house ! where little voices Their glad hosannas love to raise, And childhood's lisping tongue rejoices To bring new songs of love and praise. O happy house ! and happy servitude ! Where all alike one Master own : Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued. Is never hard nor toilsome known; Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly, Whatever thine appointment be. Till common tasks seem great and holy. When they are done as unto Thee. — Karl Johaiin Philipp Spitta, tr. by Mrs. Eric Fifuilater OUR HOME WHEN daily tasks are done, and tirdd hands Lie still and folded on the resting knee : When loving thoughts have leave to loose their bands. And wander over past and future free: Zbc Mome When visions bright of love and hope fulfilled Bring weary eyes a spark of olden fire, One castle fairer than the rest we build, One blessing more than others we desire : A home, our home, wherein, all waiting past. We two may stand together, and alone ; Our patient taskwork finished, and at last Love's perfect blessedness and peace our own — Some little nest of safety and delight. Guarded by God's good angels day and night. We cannot guess if this dear home shall lie In some green spot embowered with arch- ing trees. Where bird-notes, joined with brook- notes gliding by, Shall make us music as we sit at ease ; Or if amid the city's busy din Is built the nest for which we look and long. No sound shall mar the peace within, The calm of love that time has proved so strong ; 73 ^arriaiie Chimes Or if, — ah, solemn thought ! — this home of ours Doth lie beyond the world's confusing noise. And if the nest be built in Eden's bowers, What do we still, but silently rejoice ? We have a home, but of its happy state We know not yet. We are content to wait. A TRUE HOME WHAT is a home? A guarded space Wherein a few, unfairly blest, Shall sit together, face to face. And bask, and purr, and be at rest ? Where cushioned walls rise up between Its inmates and the common air. The common pain, and pad and screen From blows of fate or winds of care ? Where Art may blossom strong and free, And Pleasure furl her silken wing. And every moment laden be, A precious and peculiar thing ? And Past and Future, softly veiled In hiding mists, shall float and lie Forgotten half, and unassailed By either Hope or Memory, Zbc Mome While the luxurious Present weaves Her perfumed spells untried, untrue, 'Broiders her garments, heaps her sheaves, All for the pleasure of a few ? Can it be this — the longed-for thing Which wanderers on the restless foam. Unsheltered beggars, birds on wing, Aspire to, dream of, christen " Home " ? No. Art may bloom, and peace and bliss ; Grief may refrain and Death forget; But if there be no more than this The soul of home is wanting yet. Dim image from far glory caught. Fair type of fairer things to be. The true home rises in our thought As beacon for all men to see. Its lamps burn freely in the night; Its fire-glows, unchidden, shed Their cheering and abounding light On homeless folk uncomforted. Each sweet and secret thing within Gives out a fragrance on the air — A thankful breath sent forth to win A little smile from others' care. 75 /Ibarnactc Cbtmce The few, they bask in closer heat; The many catch the further ray ; Life higher seems, the world more sweet. And hope and heaven less far away. So the old miracle anew Is wrought on earth and proved good. And crumbs apportioned for a few, God-blessed, suffice a multitude. — Stcsan Coolidge A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT SHE was a phantom of delight When first she gleamed upon my sight : A lovely apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament ; Her eyes as stars of twilight fair ; Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair ; But all things else about her drawn From May-time and the cheerful dawn ; A dancing shape, an image gay. To haunt, to startle, and waylay. I saw her upon nearer view, A spirit, yet a woman too ! Her household motions light and free. And steps of virgin liberty ; A countenance in which did meet Sweet records, promises as sweet ; 76 ^be Mome A creature not too bright or good For human nature's daily food ; For transient sorrows, simple wiles, Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears and smiles. And now I see with eye serene The very pulse of the machine : A being breathing thoughtful breath, A traveler between life and death ; The reason firm, the temperate will. Endurance, foresight, strength and skill: A perfect woman, nobly planned. To warn, to comfort and command; And yet a spirit still, and bright With something of an angel light. — William Wordsivorth WE FELL OUT As through the land at eve we went. And plucked the ripened ears. We fell out, my wife and I, Oh, we fell out, I know not why, And kissed again with tears. For when we came where lies the child We lost in other years, There above the little grave, Oh, there above the little grave, We kissed again with tears. — A If red 1 'dn /lyson /Ibarriage Chimes A GOLDEN DAY A YOUNG wife stood at the lattice-pane. In a study sad and brown. Watching the dreary ceaseless rain Steadily pouring down : Drip ! drip ! drip ! It kept on its tireless play : And the little woman sighed. -Ah me ! What a wretched, wearj^ day ! '' An eager hand at the door, A step as of one in haste. A kiss on her lips once more. And an arm around her waist : Throb! throb! throb! Went her little heart grateful and gay, As she thought with a smile. -Well, after all. It is n't so dull a day ! " Forgot was the plashing rain And the lowering skies above. For the somber room was lighted again By the blessed sun of love : '• Love ! love ! love ! *' Ran the little wife's murmured lay : -Without, it may threaten and frown if it will : Within, what a golden day ! " — Auofi. 78 Zbc Mome RESPECTFUL LOVE KEEP your undrest, familiar style For strangers, but respect your friend, — Her most, whose matrimonial smile Is and asks honor without end. 'T is found, and needs must be so. That life from love's allegiance flags, When Love forgets his majesty In sloth's unceremonious rags. Love should make home a stately Court : There let the world's rude, hasty ways Be fashioned to a better port. And learn to bow and stand at gaze ; And let the sweet respective sphere Of personal worship there obtain Circumference for moving clear, None treading on another's train. This makes that pleasures do not cloy, And dignifies our mortal strife With calmness and considerate joy. Befitting our immortal life. — Coventry Patmorc MY WIFE SHE who sleeps upon my heart Was the first to win it; She who dreams upon my breast Ever reigns within it. /Ilbarrtage Cbimes She who kisses oft my lips Wakes their warmest blessing ; She who rests within my arms Feels their closest pressing. Other days than these shall come, Days that may be dreary ; Other hours shall greet us yet, Hours that may be weary ; Still this heart may be thy throne. Still this breast thy pillow, Still these lips shall meet thine oft, As billow meeteth billow. Sleep, then, on my happy heart, Since thy love has won it ; Dream, then, on my loyal breast ; None but thou hast done it; And when our age shall change. With its wintry weather. May we in the self-same grave Sleep and dream together. - Anon. HOME JOYS SWEET are the joys of Home, And pure as sweet; for they. Like dews of morn and evening, c( To wake and close the day. 80 Zbc Mome The world hath its delights, And its delusions, too. But Home to calmer bliss invites, More tranquil and more true. The mountain flood is strong. But fearful in its pride, While gently rolls the stream along The peaceful valley's side. Life's charities, like light, Spread smilingly afar ; But stars, approached, become more bright, And Home is life's own star. The pilgrim's step in vain Seeks Eden's sacred ground ; But in Home's holy joys again An Eden may be found. A glimpse of heaven to see. To none on earth is given ; And yet a happy family Is but an earlier heaven. — /o/ni Bowriiig 8i As the ntn when it arisrth in the highest places of the Lvrd^ So is the beauty of a good vsife in the order- ing of a mans house. As the lamp shineth upon the holy candlestick^ So is the beauty of the feu e in ripe age. — Ecclesiasticus : Book 11^ 6 fohn Anderson, my jo, fohn, IVe clamb the hill thegither. And mony a canty day, John^ We \'e had iin ane anither ; Now ive maun totter down, John^ But hand in hand 7ue ''II go. An* sleep thegither at the foot, John Anderson, my jo. — Robert Bums LIFE-LOVERS THREE LOVES IN A LIFE I LOVE," " And I love," " And I love too," They all loved well, and they loved but one. Each heart was hers, and each heart was true : By which shall she, the beloved, be won ? Strong on each was her gentle thrall ; Oh, how dear was she held by all ! The first was a youth in opening life ; And he was charmed by her beauty rare. With the face and form of his fair young wife, With her sweet blue eye and her silken hair. Gazing then on her charms with pride, Oh, how dear was his lovely bride ! The next had lived to his manhood's prime ; And he admired all her thouijhts so 85 /ISarrlacic Cbimcs How gracefully, at fit place and time. Counsels sage to her lips would rise. Her woman's wit would silence strife. Oh. how dear was his prudent wife ! The last is an older, life-worn man : And he delights in her tender heart. Which loveth as only woman's can. And cheers him with woman's heaven- taught art. This loving heart is all his own : Oh. how dear has his fond wife grown ! In youth I saw a maiden fair; And finding beaut}'. I sought no more. But I loved and wedded as youth will dare. And litde I knew of the prize I bore. Proud was I 'midst my fellow-men : Dear to me was my young wife then. But as life advanced and cares came thick. On ever}' side came pressing round. Till my wearied heart grew faint and sick, — Ever her at my side I found. With words of counsel wise and free: Dearer still was she then to me. Her hair is gray, and her sweet blue eves. Though loving still, are no longer bright ; 86 %\tC^%OVCXB And I list not now for her thoughts so wise ; But far stronger ties our hearts unite. Dear through life she has ever been ; Dearest now at its close serene. SUMMER IN THE HEART DEAREST heart, the leaves are fallin<^ And the summer burneth low : And I hear the crickets calling When the twilight fadeth slow. Once again the flowers are dying. And the glad birds southward start ; But no cause have we for sighing, For 'tis summer in the heart. Yes, 'tis summer in the heart; Bird and blossom may depart, But our love will hold forever, Glad, sweet summer in the heart. Winter snows will soon be lying Cold and white on vale and hill ; Winter birds will soon be sighing Through the branches bare and chill; But the icy breezes never To our lives their chill impart, For our love doth keep, forever, Glorious summer in the heart. «7 /ISarriaQe Gbimee Yes. 'tis summer in the heart; Snows may fall and tear-drops start, But the soul that loves, forever Keepeth summer in the heart. Hand in hand through life together. You and I have journeyed long ; Laughing at the stormy weather, Meeting trouble with a song. Sorrow's storms have beat around us ; Oft we 've felt the tear-drops start : But. wherever trouble found us. Love kept summer in the heart. Yes, *t was summer in the heart ; Griefs might come and joys depart. But the sunshine lingered with us. — Love made summer in the heart. So, at last, when death shall find us Watching, waiting, hand in hand. With life's summer time behind us. And our feet upon the strand. Though upon the shore we sever. Drifting for a while apart. We shall meet and feel, forever. Endless summer in the heart. There '11 be summer in the heart : Though awhile we drift apart. Love will bring, beyond the shadows. Endless summer to the heart. — /. S. Cutler 88 %itC^%OVCXB NEVER OLD I LOOKED in the tell-tale mirror, And saw the marks of care, — The crow's-feet and the wrinkles. And the gray in the dark brown hair. My wife looked over my shoulder ; Most beautiful was she ; " Thou wilt never grow old, my Love," she said, " Never grow old to me." " For age is the chilling of the heart ; And thine, as mine can tell. Is as young and warm as when first we heard The sound of our bridal bell ! " I turned and kissed her ripe red lips : " Let time do its worst on me. If in my soul, my Love, my Faith, I never seem old to thee ! " THE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY OLovE, it is our wedding day ! This morn — how swift the sea- sons flee ! — A virgin morn of cloudless May, You gave your loyal hand to me, — Your dainty hand, clasped sweet and sure As Love's sweet self, forevermore ! «9 /nbarriage Gbimee O Love, it is our wedding day ! The very rustling of your dress, The trembling of your arm that lay On mine with timorous happiness, Your fluttering breath and faint footfall, — Ah, sweet, I hear, I see them all ! O Love, it is our wedding day ! And backward Time's strange current rolls Till life's and love's auspicious May Once more is blooming in our souls. And, lark-like, swells the song of hope, Your blissful bridal horoscope. O Love, it is our wedding day ! Yet say, did those fair hopes but sing. Lapped in the tuneful morn of May, To lie or droop on faltering wing, When noontide heats and evening chills Made pale the flowers and veiled the hills ? O Love, it is our wedding day. And none of those glad hopes of youth. Thrilled to its height, outpoured a lay To match our future's sjmple truth ; Though deep the joy of vow and shrine, Our wedded calm is more divine ! 90 %itc^TLovcxe O Love, it is our wedding day ! Life's summer, with slow-waning beam, Tints near the autumn's cloud-land gray To softness of a fairy dream. Whence peace, by musing pathos kissed, Smiles through a veil of golden mist O Love, it is our wedding day ! The conscious winds are whispering low Those passionate secrets of the May Fraught with your kisses long ago, When memories of our years remote Are trembling in the mock-bird's throat. O Love, it is our wedding day, — And not a thrush in woodland bowers, And not a rivulet's silvery lay. Nor tiny bee-song 'mid the flowers. Nor any voice on land or sea. But deepens love to ecstasy ! Our wedding day ! The soul's noontide ! In these rare words at watchful rest What sweet, melodious meanings hide Like birds within one balmy nest, Each quivering with an impulse strong To flood all heaven and earth with song ! — Pan/ Hamilton Ilayne THOU AND I APRIL days are over I O my gay young lover. Forth we fare together In the soft May weather : Forth we wander, hand in hand. Seeking an enchanted land Underneath a smiling sky. So blithely. — Thou and I. Soft spring days are over ! O my ardent lover. Many a hill together. In the July weather. Climb we when the da}-s are long And the summer heats are strong. And the har\-est wains go by. So bravelv. — Thou and I. July days are over ! O my faithful lover. Side by side together In the August weather. When the swift, wild storms befall us. And the fiery darts appall us. Wait we till the clouds sweep by, And stars shine, — Thou and I. %\U^%OVCTB Summer days are over ! O my one true lover, Sit we now alone together In the early autumn weather ; From our nest the birds have flown To fair dreamlands of their own ; And we see the days go by, In silence, — Thou and I. Storm and stress are over ! O my friend and lover. Closer now we lean together In the Indian summer weather ; See the bright leaves falling, falling, Hear the low winds calling, calling, Glad to let the world go by Unheeding, — Thou and I. Winter days are over ! O my life-long lover, Rest we now in peace together Out of reach of changeful weather ; Not a sound can mar our sleeping, — Breath of laughter or of weeping May not reach us where we lie. Uncaring, — Thou and I. — Julia Caroline Riplcv-Dorr 93 INDEX OF FIRST LINES PAGE A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind .... 8 A song — to lay at the feet of My Love ... 30 A young wife stood at the lattice-pane .... 78 All mankind love a lover 13 All the breath and the bloom of the year in the bag of one bee 40 And on her lover's arm she leant 57 April days are over 92 Ask not of me, love, what is love 5 As through the land at eve we went 77 Behold me ! I am worthy . . . . . . . . 10 Believe me, if all those endearing young charms 2>7 Blessed through love are the gods — through love 9 But hark! a rap comes gently to the door . . 21 Dark is the night, and fitful and drearily ... 69 Dearest heart, the leaves are falling 87 Do I love thee .'* Ask the bee 39 Even in the happiest choice, where fav'ring heaven 62 Except I be by Sylvia in the night 8 God makes sech nights, all white and still . . 24 Good shepherd, tell this youth what 't is to love 7 Home 's not merely four square walls .... 70 How do I love thee } Let me count the ways . 46 How welcome was the call 61 95 ■ffnDei ot Jfixet %\ncs PAGE I count my times by times I meet thee .... 40 I looked in the tell-tale mirror 89 '* I love," " And I love," " And I love too " . 85 " I should be happy," with a look 64 I would not be a rose upon the wall 10 If the apple grows on the apple tree .... 4; In Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours . . 50 In peace. Love tunes the shepherd's reed ... 7 It is a dream, sweet child ! a waking dream . . 5 *' It was our wedding day 63 Keep your undrest, familiar style 79 Let me not to the marriage of true minds ... 15 Love can sun the Realms of Light 9 Love has no thought of self 11 Love is not made of kisses, or of sighs .... 16 Love is not to be bought — 't is of the soul . . I'l Love is the root of creation; God's essence; worlds without number 6 Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak . . 6 Love lieth deep; Love dwells not in lip dej^ths . 11 Love reflects the thing beloved 11 Love 's too precious to be lost 11 Love took me softly by the hand 47 Love ! what a volume in a word ! an ocean in a tear 12 My true love hath my heart, and I have his . . 29 Nevermore 37 Now the rite is duly done 58 O happy house! where man and wife in heart . 71 O Love, it is our wedding day 89 O splendid sun that shone above 14 O that the desert were my dwelling-place ... 9 Oh, life is not perfect with Love's first kiss . . 62 96 IfnDei ot ffirst Xinee pa(;k Oh, Love is not a summer mood 13 Oh, Love is weak 15 Oh Love ! young Love ! bound in thy rosy band . 8 Oh, my luve 's like a red, red rose 46 She is a winsome wee thing 66 She knew she was by him beloved — she knew . 9 She stood breast high amid the corn .... 28 She was a phantom of delight 76 She was his life 9 She who sleeps upon my heart 79 So these lives that had run thus far in separate channels 6 Strange! that one lightly- whispered tone .. . . 49 Sweet are the joys of Home 80 Thank God for Love : though Love may hurt and wound 12 The bond that links our souls together .... 52 The might of one fair face sublimes my love . 50 The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love ... 5 The truth of truths is love 5 The voice that breathed o'er Eden 59 The winter wind is wailing, sad and low ... 42 Then we talked — oh, how we talked ! her voice so cadenced in the talking 10 There has fallen a splendid tear 38 Thou hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie ... 32 To my room 48 Together we walked in the evening time ... 23 True love 's the gift which God has given . . 7 True, 't is only a rose 44 Two Loves came up a long, wide aisle ■ • • • 57 What is a home.'' A guarded space .... 74 Ifn^ei ot ifiret Xine^ PAGE What ! keep a week away ? seven days and nights 8 What would I ask for thee, wish for thee, Sweet 41 What you do 51 When daily tasks are done, and tired hands . . 72 When the earth is waking at the voice of May . 31 Where is another sweet as my sweet .... 21 Why, having won her, do I woo 65 Yes, hope may with my strong desire keep pace 52 Yes, Love indeed is light from heaven .... 8 9S Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: Jan. 2009 Preservationlechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 111 Thomson Park Drive Cranberry Township. PA 1 6066 (724)779-2111 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS III lll|i| 013 979 373 ^, II