Poems (Ryan)/Sunbeams

by Mary C. Ryan

SUNBEAMS.

Grasp the golden sunbeams,
 That gaily round thee play,
And hoard the fleeting gleams,
 Shining so bright to-day.
For once their light is shed,
 'Twill never shine again;
So grasp them e'er they fade
 And pass beyond thy ken.

Let not the moments fly,
 On slow wings of despair,
Nor on the noonday sky
 Let no dark clouds appear.
So when life's sun is low,
 And all thy tasks are done,
The heart will brightly glow
 With pleasures that are gone.

Then, like through dark gray trees,
 Sunset arrows dart,
Are virtues brightest rays
 Reflected from the heart;
And over earth will throw,
 From life's distant west,
Fair and golden halo,
 As the soul sinks to rest.