Poems (Bushnell)/Horizons

by Frances Louisa Bushnell

XXXIX HORIZONS

My heart gives thanks for yonder hill
That makes this valley safe and still;
That shuts from sight my onward way,
And sets a limit to my day;
That keeps my thoughts, so tired and weak,
From seeking what they should not seek.
On that fair bound across the west,
My eyes find pasturage and rest,
And of its dewy stillness drink,
As do the stars upon its brink;
It shields me from the day to come,
And makes the present hour my home.

Deeper will be my rest to-night
For this near calmness of the height;
Its steadfast boundary will keep
My harbored spirit while I sleep;
Yet somewhere on its wooded sides
To-morrow's onward pathway hides,
And I shall wake at early morn
To find a world beyond, new-born.
I thank thee, Lord, that thou dost lay
These near horizons on my way.
If I could all my journey see,
There were no charm of mystery,
No veiled grief, no changes sweet,
No restful sense of tasks complete.
I thank thee for the hills, the night,
For every barrier to my sight;
For every turn that blinds my eyes
To coming pain or glad surprise;
For every bound thou settest nigh
To make me look more near, more high;
For mysteries too great to know;
For every thing thou dost not show.
Upon thy limits rests my heart;
Its safe horizon, Lord, thou art.