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A mightier Arm, must lead them on their way,
And cast the lot they take but cannot choose.
And cast the lot they take but cannot choose.
Oh! merciful it is, that o'er that lot
A shadow rests no mortal eye can pierce,
No light can chase away. That blesséd cloud
Is Hope's eternal dwelling! There she rests,
Enthroned upon the Future's misty form,
And lifts on high her torch, which oft can turn
Its darkness into clear though distant day.
A shadow rests no mortal eye can pierce,
No light can chase away. That blesséd cloud
Is Hope's eternal dwelling! There she rests,
Enthroned upon the Future's misty form,
And lifts on high her torch, which oft can turn
Its darkness into clear though distant day.
And unto thee, for whom this wreath was twined,
To greet the morning of the new-born year,
Oh, let it now convey the wish and prayer,
That Heaven's best blessings, earth's most holy joys,
And mercies ever new, may gild thy lot,
Shed gathering lustre o'er thine onward way,
And crown each year which yet shall rise for thee.
To greet the morning of the new-born year,
Oh, let it now convey the wish and prayer,
That Heaven's best blessings, earth's most holy joys,
And mercies ever new, may gild thy lot,
Shed gathering lustre o'er thine onward way,
And crown each year which yet shall rise for thee.
E.
January 1, 1836.
