Poems (Douglas)/The Stream of Life

by Sarah Parker Douglas

The Stream of Life.

Life's infant stream, how calm and fair,
 And beautiful it lies,
It's silv'ry surf reflecting clear
 Young morning's cloudless skies!
How smooth our little barque glides on
 Upon the sunny stream—
How everything we gaze upon
 Looks bright as poet's dream.

Unruffled by one breeze of care
 The waters onward glide,
Unbittered by one woe-fraught tear
 Flows on the lucid tide
Or if a tear should chance to fall
 In childish sorrowing,
'Tis lighter than the dewy pearl
 Shook from the skylark's wing.

And oh! what sweet and gladsome bowers
 The sunny banks adorn—
We reach and pluck the fadeless flowers
 That bloom without a thorn;
With bounding heart we rapturous drink
 From young joy's guileless spring,
Nor ever in that bright hour think
 What sorrows yet shall ring

The heart round which dance dreamy things,
 Bright as the golden beam
The orb of day effulgent flings
 Upon the silver stream.
On, onward by the current borne,
 We reach the stream of youth;
We fancy, as in life's young morn,
 All innocence and truth:

We see the flowers we loved so much,
 And try to catch the joy;
We, passing, grasp—but at our touch
 The transient glories die.
Now fancy's rainbow tints pourtray
 Our path, along the wave
All sunshine, and the colours gay,
 Hide far the distant grave.

The stream is deeper, wider now,
 And fitful gales arise;
Deep whirlpools grumble far below,
 And darker seem the skies.
We're launch'd on manhood's watery Waste—-
 We drink of manhood's cup—
'Tis gall and acid to the taste—
 Ah! where's the honied drop?

Hope, like a phantom, but allures
 Our path from wave to wave,
With joys that never can be ours
 On this side of the grave.
As little wanton school-boys try
 Their shadow to outrun,
So we pursue the fleeting joy,
 And end as we began.

Then back, through disappointment's tears,
 On by-past scenes we gaze;
There, in the vale of other years,
 The stream of early days,
Bright as the azure vault above,
 In hallow'd glory lies:
Oh! all is happiness and love
 'Neath young life's sunny skies.