This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
392
MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS

The Oak on the Mountain's Summit

Oh, mountain monarch, at whose feet I stand, —
Clouds to adorn thy brow, skies clasp thy hand, —
Nature divine, in harmony profound,
With peaceful presence hath begirt thee round.
 
And thou, majestic oak, from yon high place
Guard'st thou the earth, asleep in night's embrace, —
And from thy lofty summit, pouring down
Thy sheltering shade, her noonday glories crown?
 
Whate'er thy mission, mountain sentinel,
To my lone heart thou art a power and spell;
A lesson grave, of life, that teacheth me
To love the Hebrew figure of a tree.
 
Faithful and patient be my life as thine;
As strong to wrestle with the storms of time;
As deeply rooted in a soil of love;
As grandly rising to the heavens above.



Isle of Wight

Written on receiving a painting of the Isle

Isle of beauty, thou art singing
To my sense a sweet refrain;
To my busy memory bringing
Scenes that I would see again.