Page:Redemption, a Poem.djvu/80

 74 REDEMPTION.

And silently awaited his commands.

But he, mistrusting their renew' d disport,

Slunk off, retired apart, and wand'ring up

And down through solitary places, damp

And dry, sought rest for his perturbed soul.

With the first blush of early dawn, awoke

Th' unsullied handmaid of the Lord, rosy

From healthful sleep, with innocence embalm'd,

Which softly fell, like dew on Hermon's hill,

And seal'd her senses with its gentle sway,

Unconscious of the fiend, and undisturbed,

Who sought his venom stealthy to instil ;

Whilst all night long, the whisp'ring breeze, soft sounds

Of sweetest minstrelsy, brought to her ear ;

Or, teeming fancy roam'd, on easy wing,

From earth to heav'n, where, in extatic bliss,

She seem'd t' anticipate the joys, reserved

Forever for the bless' d, and chief for her,

Supreme the bless' d among; nor woke, until

The nightingale, which, through the silent hours

Perpetual warbled in her ear, had ceased

With early dawn its constant lay. Then, blithe

And free, she rose, her heart still lingering

Within the skies, and thus her Maker hymn'd :

" Father of Israel, and God supreme O'er all, to thee, my waking thoughts aad vows, My morn and ev'ning sacrifices rise. As pants the heart for cooling streams, so longs My soul, God, for thee. Anchor of hope, And brightness of my joy, to thee I look, On thee my soul depends, to thee my prayer, As incense' sweet perfume, ascends.

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