IF I had known that the PæanWhich rang from the leafy skies,Was writ by the nameless LeaderOf choirs in Paradise;My hand would not have been cruel,My heart would have shamed the wrongThat filled a nest with despairingAnd hushed an enraptured song.
If I had known that the pebbleI crushed in the dust unseen,Would one day blaze on the foreheadOf none but a peerless Queen;—My foot had trodden it lighter,Its worth I had lived to show;Alas! the pearls that are pricelessNo one but a Queen may know;
If I had known that the tear-dropsYou hushed with a bitter moan,Bore up on their shining pathwayYour heart to the Great White Throne,My love had solaced your anguish,My reverence bent the knee;But, ah! the godliest sorrowOnly a God can see.
