st teacher;
He silent adoration seeks,
But shuns the prosy preacher.
Now read me right, ye gentle anes,
Nor deem my lesson hollow;
The deepest river silent rins,
The babbling brook is shallow.
TOGETHER.
Together, dearest, we have play'd,
As girl and boy together;
Through storm and calm, in sun and shade,
In spring and wintry weather.
Oh! every pang that stinging came
But made our love the dearer;
If danger lower'd--'twas all the same,
We only clung the nearer.
In riper years, when all the world
Lay bathed in light before us,
And life in rainbow hues unfurl'd
Its glowing banner o'er us,
Amid the beauty storms would rise
And flowers collapsing wither,
While open friends turned hidden foes--
Yet were we blest together.
But now the battle's fought and won,
And care with life is flying,
While, setting slowly like the sun,
Ambition's fires are dying.
We gather hope with fading strength,
And go, we know not whither,
Contented if in death at last
We sleep in peace together.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE.
With lofty song we love to cheer
The hearts of daring men;
Applauded thus, they gladly hear
The trumpet's call again.
But now we sing of lowly deeds
Devoted to the brave,
Where she, who stems the wound that bleeds,
A hero's life may save:
And heroes saved exulting tell
How well her voice they knew;
How sorrow near it could not dwell,
But spread its wings and flew.
Neglected, dying in despair,
They lay till woman came
To soothe them with her gentle care,
And feed life's flickering flame.
When wounded sore, on fever's rack,
Or cast away as slain,
She called their fluttering spirits back
And gave them strength again.
'Twas grief to miss the passing face
That suffering could dispel;
But joy to turn and kiss the place
On which her shadow fell.[4]
When words of wrath profaning rung,
She moved with pitying grace;
Her presence still'd the wildest tongue,
And holy[5] made the place.
They knew that they were cared for then,
Their eyes forgot their tears;
In dreamy sleep they lost their pain,
And thought of early years--
Of early years, when all was fair,
Of faces sweet and
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