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ST. JOHN IN THE WILDERNESS.
"And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meal was locusts and wild honey." Matthew iii. 4.
Afar, he took a gloomy cave,
For his accustomed dwelling-place,
As dark, as silent as the grave,
As unfamiliar with man's face;
The stern and knotted trees grew round,
Blasted, and desolate, and grey,
And 'mid their sullen depth was found
A home for birds and beasts of prey.
Morning broke joyless, for the land
Knew no green grass, nor fragrant flower,
The barren rock, the burning sand,
Blessed not the sunshine, nor the shower.
Yet there the prophet dwelt alone,
Far from the city and the plain;
For him in vain their glory shone,
For him their beauty spread in vain.
