THE VEILED HOPE.
Down deep in every human breast,
Close veiled from mortal sight,
There hidden lies some darling hope,
That ne'er hath seen the light.
Close veiled from mortal sight,
There hidden lies some darling hope,
That ne'er hath seen the light.
Not always doth this cherished hope
Find anchorage in heaven;
Oft are its brightest, sweetest dreams,
To earthly idol given.
Find anchorage in heaven;
Oft are its brightest, sweetest dreams,
To earthly idol given.
On altar, flower-crowned, ivy-wreathed,
Our offering we lay,
Then by its side we wait and watch,
While wear the years away.
Our offering we lay,
Then by its side we wait and watch,
While wear the years away.
And ever doth the fond heart sigh,
In plaintive undertone;
With yearning voice—"How long, how long,
Ere Hope may claim its own?"
In plaintive undertone;
With yearning voice—"How long, how long,
Ere Hope may claim its own?"
How long?—the Future question not—
Its dark or bright unfolding
Entrust to One—the Sculptor wise,
Whose chisel souls is moulding.
Its dark or bright unfolding
Entrust to One—the Sculptor wise,
Whose chisel souls is moulding.
When Death's white hand the curtain lifts,
Perchance his Heaven-sent mission
May be in fairer clime to give
Thy now veiled hope—fruition.
Perchance his Heaven-sent mission
May be in fairer clime to give
Thy now veiled hope—fruition.