They perish; but she endureth, To faint in the Winter's scorn, With a life-warmth buried within her Through which other Springs are born. As the shadows dance hither and thither, The shrouded ghost of the future Stands near, O Future! what sorrows gather Thy manhood lies crouching within thee, Thy heart takes its long vibration Oh! look to the God that commands them, THE UNWELCOME MESSAGE. A DISMAL Postman passes by, – I fear his sullen knock: "Twill strike a shiver through the door, And paralyze the lock. 66 Plague not this unoffending house; It owes no shameful debt; Nor guilty chamber doth it hide Where evil guests are met. Here gentle heart and gentle blood And days glide by with happy toil, And measured thankfulness. The messengers who enter here Are glad and bright of eye, Freighted with precious words that stir Responsive minstrelsy." "The note is brief, the seal is sharp, I cannot err in their address; If you the door will not unbar, Less lofty than the turret where When you have read, the feast may speed, The business, as you list: But, somehow, where my foot has stept, The joy of joys is missed; |