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52
SCHOOL SONGS.

A reign of summer joyfulness
To thee for life is given;
Thy food the honey from the flow'r,
Thy drink the dew from heaven.

Mary Howitt.

42. The Convent-Bell.

Far, far o'er hill and dale,
On the winds stealing,
List to the convent-bell,
Sweetly pealing.
Hark! hark! it seems to say,
As melt those sounds away,
So life's short joys decay
While now they're fleeting.

Now through the charmed air,
Slowly ascending,
List to the chanted prayer,
Solemnly blending.
Hark, hark! it seems to say,
Turn from vain joys away,
To those which ne'er decay;
For life is ending.


43. The Child's Wish.

I wish I were a little bird,
To fly so far and high,
And sail along the golden clouds,

And through the azure sky.