THE ONE HOPE. WHEN vain desire at last and vain regret Go hand in hand to death, and all is vain, Shall Peace be still a sunk stream long unmet,— Ah! when the wan soul in that golden air Between the scriptured petals softly blown Ah! let none other written spell soe'er, But only the one Hope's one name be there,- DANTE G. ROSSETTI. SYMBOLS OF VICTORY. ELLOW leaves on the ash-tree, And the streaming radiance of sunshine At a window a child's mouth smiling, At the flying rainy landscape And the sudden opening skies. Angels hanging from heaven, And the promise of great salvation A dying man on his pillow Whose white soul fled to his face, Puts on her garment of joyfulness And stretches to Death's embrace. Passion, rapture, and blindness, I see, or the glory blinds me WILLIAM CALDWELL ROSCOE. Lobe. I THE KINGDOM OF GOD. SAY to thee, do thou repeat To the first man thou mayest meet In lane, highway, or open street That he and we and all men move As broad as the blue sky above; That doubt and trouble, fear and pain That weary deserts we may tread, Yet, if we will one Guide obey, Shall issue out in heavenly day; And we, on divers shores now cast, And, ere thou leave him, say thou this, Who will not count it true, that Love, And one thing further make him know, Despite of all which seems at strife RICHARD CHENEVIX TRENCH. LOVED ONCE. I CLASSED, appraising once Earth's lamentable sounds, the well-a-day,' The jarring 'yea' and 'nay,' The fall of kisses on unanswering clay, The sobbed 'farewell,' the welcome' mournfuller,- But all did leaven the air With a less bitter leaven of sure despair Than these words-'I loved once.' And who saith, 'I loved once'? Not angels, whose clear eyes love, love foresee, Love through eternity! And by To Love, do apprehend To Be. Not God, called Love, his noble crown-name, casting A light too broad for blasting! The great God, changing not from everlasting, Saith never, I loved once.' Oh! never is 'loved once' Thy word, thou Victim-Christ, misprizèd Friend! But, having loved, Thou lovest to the end! This is man's saying—man's !—too weak to move Man desecrates the eternal God-word, Love, How say ye 'We loved once,' Blasphemers! Is your earth not cold enow, Mourners, without that snow? Ah, friends! and would ye wrong each other so? Whose prayers have met your own, Whose tears have fallen for you, whose smiles have shone So long, 'We loved them once'? Could ye, 'We loved her once,' Say calm of me, sweet friends, when out of sight— When hearts of better right Stand in between me and your happy light; |