The long green grass was full of life,
And so was every tree;
On every bough there was a bud,
In every bud a bee.
And life hath such a gladdening power,
Thus in its joy arrayed—
The God who made the world so fair
Must love what he has made.
Fed by the silver rains, a brook
Went murmuring along,
And to its music, from the leaves,
The birds replied in song;
And, white as ever lily grew,
A wilding broom essayed
To fling upon the sunny wave
A transitory shade.
Misty and grey as morning skies,
Mid which their summits stood,
The ancient cliffs encompassed round
The lovely solitude.
It was a scene where faith would take
Lessons from all it saw,
And feel amid its depths, that hope
Was God's and Nature's law.
The past might here be wept away—
The future might renew
Its early confidence on high,
When years and sins were few.
