Page:Poems Hoffman.djvu/381

Then shall the loving angels read, with their vision deep and clear,
The beautiful, faultless chapters kept of every erring year,
When in the archives of all time, our humble lives shall appear.

EXISTENCE

We waken vaguely, dreamily at first, as from a slumber deep,
Waken to feel, to think, to love, to hate, to smile and weep;
Waken to sin and sorrow, to a widening view
   Of many things strange, wonderful and new;
We take unsought what life hath dared to give,
   To be, to do, to live;
We question our existence, in reply
   They tell us we must die.

We learn of God and man, of earth and heaven,
Of evil punished and of wrong forgiven,
Of an immortal life beyond the grave,
Of One from heaven who came on earth to save;
   We doubt or trust,
We fall asleep, we slumber, we are dust.
And is this all, O God, this petty play,
   This drama of a day;
This tragedy enacted o'er and o'er
Of sin and grief and pain and little more?
In Thy great heart, safe kept from wrangling strife,
Thou hast the keys of life;
Thine to explain the things half-understood.
   Evil and good
Rise up before us and demand our powers;
   The choice is ours.

[ 351 ]