Poems (Emma M. Ballard Bell)/Morning
For works with similar titles, see Morning.
POEMS.
MORNING.
O radiant Morn! when the fountains of lightWere opened, and in the dominions of NightThe gleams of a brightness earth never had knownHad parted the shadows so long o'er it thrown,—The stars, ere from earth they had veiled their sweet rays,Hymned unto Jehovah an anthem of praise. Thou camest then, robed in a mantle of light,And round thy brow rested a coronet bright.Then earth, as it met the bright glance of thine eye,Smiled joyful. Its smile was reflected on high.The heavens smiled back to the earth, and thy swayTogether they owned, O bright herald of day! Long ages, O Morn! in their silence have flownSince first unto earth thy fair presence was known;With joy in thine eye, and with light on thy brow,And regal robes round thee, thou greetest us now. How beautiful art thou when chill winter reigns,With mantling snows resting on mountains and plains,When crystals and icicles, lit with thy beam,Are bright as the gems that in ocean-caves gleam!How lovely, when springtime's or summer's sweet voiceHath bid all the earth in its beauty rejoice!And beautiful still, when, with sad, plaintive tone,The autumn winds mourn for the summertide flown;O'er trees, with their garlands of crimson and gold,Thine eye rests in sadness, yet loves to behold. How bright is thy coming when calm, peaceful NightGlides softly away from thy shadowy light!How welcome thy coming when tempests and stormsHave roamed through the night-hours in terrible forms!Through raindrops and mists that may veil thy clear eyes,And shroud thy bright robes of the gold-tinted dyes,Thy beaming smile glances, and lo! in the west,Where cloud-mountains rise with their dark, frowning crest,The rainbow bends graceful its radiant form,—The beautiful child of the sunbeam and storm. O Morning! thy beauties to vision when givenMay wake in the spirit deep dreamings of heaven;May wake joyous thoughts in the spirit, where stillAre soul-founts the Infinite only can fill. Though naught for these longings can earth's beauty bring,Nor over our life-scenes immortal light fling,We'll cherish these longings, and love thee the while,Love Night's solemn presence and Morn's sunny smile,Until from the shadows and sunlight of earthWe pass to that land where our spirits had birth;Where souls breathe again their own native air,And dreams in this life are reality there.