Classic Poem

Doth sadness o'er thy spirit sometimes steal,
And darken all thy hours with doubt and fear,
As when the sun, while planets seem to wheel
Across his disc, is darkened to us here?
Or as when clouds depart, which long o'erhung
The earth with leaden visage, we rejoice;
So does thy spirit, in the song thou'st sung,
Find brightness giving gratitude a voice?
Whate'er to-day thy lot may seem to be,
With thorns or flowerets strewn, beloved friend,
This is the prayer which I shall breathe for thee,—
That thou be faithful till this life shall end;
Faithful to Him who trod the path of woe,
That thou shouldst share those joys the ransomed know.