Poem May 19, 1934 Issue

Songs in the Night

HELEN MAR BROWN

Oh , gracious Lord, how sweet the night, how tranquil, still!
I feel Thy presence, all-pervasive as the night
Itself. The hills are quiet symbols of Thy might,
And stars with steadfast light bespeak Thy kindly will.
Was it on a night like this, so full of peace,
That David sang Thy praise? I too can hear Thy voice
Tonight in all the whispering trees, and can rejoice
That Thou dost give to pain and sorrow sweet surcease.

Oh, Lord, it is not always so; sometimes the night
Doth seem so endless, drear and dark, so full of woe.
They come to all, such times of grief; and so I know
They came to David—hours of stress that made him fight
To keep firm hold upon the truth; to shut without
The dark forebodings of the gloom, to silence fear;
And spite of error's overwhelming din, to hear
Thy voice. Ah, nights like these came oft to him, no doubt.

And yet, in spite of all, he felt that Thou art near;
So near, he heard Thy songs within the night, and knew
That with the blessed morning joy would come anew,
And brighter visions of the Father's love appear.
We too can listen for the songs that sing their way
Through darkest night, in every age. Let us rejoice
That Truth again has found a clear, insistent voice
That rings through nights of gloom, a clarion call alway.

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