LIFE'S RIVER.
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Innocence, that guardian angel,Still is better than Repentance." In low accents, then the maidenSpoke again unto the angel:"On the banks of this swift riverGrow dark trees with drooping branches;And they fling their somber shadowsFar across the rolling billows.And when o'er the deep, deep waters,Darkened by these mournful shadows,Sails a bark with mortals laden,Lo! a change comes o'er their faces:Lips no more with smiles are parted;Eyes no more with laughter glisten;But a strange, strange look of sorrowSettles dark upon their faces.Now and then a tearful mortalLifts an eye of faith to heaven,Gazes, too, on yonder mountains,With their summits crowned with verdureBathed in purest light celestial.Now explain, O holy being,This strange scene, so fraught with myst'ry."Thus she said. The angel answered,"While the dark, dark trees of sorrowFling their deep and mournful shadowsO'er the current of Life's waters,
