Poems (Stephens)/The lilies
For works with similar titles, see The Lilies.
THE LILIES.
Sweet lilies are blooming in stagnated pools,
And shed a perfume the most delicate there;
They flourish unstinted amid the deep gloom,
Unrivalled in beauty, in purity rare.
And shed a perfume the most delicate there;
They flourish unstinted amid the deep gloom,
Unrivalled in beauty, in purity rare.
And thus by their presence redeeming a spot
That else would seem loathsome and full of decay,
And we are subdued by their influence sweet;
All sense but of pleasure is banished away.
That else would seem loathsome and full of decay,
And we are subdued by their influence sweet;
All sense but of pleasure is banished away.
Some mortals are living surrounded by ills,
And yet are themselves what is noble and pure,
So watchful and faithful in life's every work,
So patient, whatever they're called to endure.
And yet are themselves what is noble and pure,
So watchful and faithful in life's every work,
So patient, whatever they're called to endure.
By this is their presence most certainly known,
And hearts will be moved by their labors of love,
They're like the sweet lilies that bloom in the mire,
Upheld by the hand of the Father above.
And hearts will be moved by their labors of love,
They're like the sweet lilies that bloom in the mire,
Upheld by the hand of the Father above.