Moral Pieces, in Prose and Verse/For the Blank Page of a New Bible

by Lydia Sigourney

FOR THE BLANK PAGE OF A NEW BIBLE.

LET not the eye that idly seeks for mirth,
    Fix on this page inspir'd its roving look;
Nor let the heart absorb'd in love of earth,
    Expect its cordial from this holy book.

The upright soul that scorns deceit and art,
    The eye mild gleaming thro' the contrite tear,
The meek in spirit, and the pure in heart,
    Alone can find divine instruction here.

This sheds a lustre o'er the darken'd skies,
    When the thick clouds of care and sorrow roll;
This, when the storms descend, and billows rise,
    Holds a firm anchor to the troubled soul.

This, when the bloom of youth, the hour of ease,
    And star of fortune veil their fickle ray,
When friendship's smile, and love's fond accents cease,
    Shall lead to raptures more sublime than they.

This, from the wreck of joy that hope shall bring,
    Whose bright eye pierces thro' the mists of time;
And from the urn of hope shall spread the wing,
    That wafts the spirit to a purer clime.

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