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LOOKING BEYOND

Today the glorious King of Day is smiling
Upon the hills and fields he looks upon,
But somehow from the glory of the sunshine
There is a something gone.

What is it? The soft air is warm and pleasant
The shrubs and trees fresh robes of verdure wear
And yet a feeling not exactly sadness
Pervades the air.

Some sweet notes from the ivory keys come to me,
They echo through my being, faint and low,
But why it is they lack the power to soothe me
I do not know.

'Tis strange, but sometimes how life's prospects thrill us,
How cherished plans gleam with a new delight;
We sleep and wake to find Hope's starry splendor
Has taken flight.

Our plans are dim, their glory has departed.
And yet we cannot find the words to tell
Of the strange brightness, or the shadowy dimness,
That these loved dreams befell.

We only know what seemed of vast importance,
And, filled with hope our pilgrimage on earth,
Has dwindled down to-day without a reason
To small and trifling worth;

Sometimes these seem enough to make us happy,
And sure success in these is all we claim;
And then again we can but vaguely murmur:
"O for a higher aim!"

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