THE NEW YEAR

JOHN STEEN.

Hark to yon throbbing thrush outside,
Hailing the new year as his bride,
And caroling his joyous praise
To welcome ever-brightening days.
Before the liquid light of day
The dark, numb night soon fades away,
Until the daylight reigns supreme
With naught of darkness to be seen.
The sun, moved by one great desire,
Is daily mounting ever higher,
That he may bless the barren earth,
Give the imprisoned flowers new birth,
And garland wood, and bank, and brier
With blossoms of celestial fire.
(He needs must dwell in light above
To bless the objects of his love.)

II.

O Love divine! Dear, tender God,
Whose voice has called me from the sod!
Like yon sweet singer in the dell
My heart, O Lord, is fain to tell
How, bright and ever brighter, grows
(Like the unfolding of a rose)
The daily path wherein I tread,
Sustained by Thy life-giving bread.
And, like the sun, I would arise
Toward the ever-beckoning skies,
So that I may, as heavenward-borne,
Bring comfort to tired hearts that mourn:
That I may see the flowers of truth
Adorn old age like radiant youth,
And see the fruits of silent prayer
Be manifested everywhere.

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THE NEW YEAR

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