Poems (McDonald)/Stanzas
For works with similar titles, see Stanzas.
STANZAS,suggested by the death of a young daughter of the rev. dr. schroeder.
I saw a lovely flower Upon a slender spray, But a rude blast came, with sudden power, And swept its bloom away: It bent beneath the blow, And its leaves to earth were given, But the bitter wind that had laid it low, Bore its fragrance unto heaven.
I marked a rainbow's form, When the summer shower went by, Born of the sunbeam and the storm— Spanning the eastern sky: And I gazed upon the sight, Till the glorious arch was riven, And its varied hues of gorgeous light Melted away in heaven.
I watched a merry bird, Building its fairy nest, And the glossy leaves by its wings were stirred, Round that little spot of rest; And I deemed its gushing song Would still to mine ear be given, But it plumed its wing for the skies ere long, And soared, and sang, in heaven.
I gazed on a gentle star, That was bright in the evening sky, And thought, how it smiled in its home afar, When watched by a mortal's eye; But the tempest gathered fast, And wildly the clouds were driven, And the star was lost, as their dark folds passed, But I knew it was still in heaven.
So, like that lovely flower, And like that rainbow's light, And like the bird of the summer bower, And the glittering star of night; Hath thy loved one, in life's pure spring, From thy fond embraces riven, Been borne away on an angel's wing, To dwell in the light of heaven.