Page:Fugitive Poetry 1600-1878.djvu/136

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
118
THE MARRIAGE VOW.
Nothing great is lightly won, nothing won is lost;Every good deed, nobly done, will repay the cost:Leave to Heaven, in humble trust, all you will to do;But, if you'd succeed, you must "Paddle your own canoe!"
Cupid Taught by the Graces.
It is their summer haunt;—a giant oakStretches its sheltering arms above their heads,And midst the twilight of depending boughsThey ply their eager task. Between them sitsA bright-haired child, whose softly glistening wingsQuiver with joy, as ever and anonHe, at their bidding, sweeps a chorded shell,And draws its music forth. Wondering, he looksFor their approving smile, and quickly drinks(Apt pupil!) from their lips instruction sweet—Divine encouragement! And this is LoveTaught by the Graces how to point his dartsWith milder mercy and discreeter aim;To stir the bosom's lyre to harmony,And waken strains of music from its chordsThey never gave before!
The Marriage Vow.
Speak it not lightly!—'tis a holy thing, A bond enduring through long distant years,When joy o'er thine abode is hovering, Or when thine eye is wet with bitterest tears,Recorded by an angel's pen on high,And must be questioned in eternity!
Speak it not lightly!—though the young and gay Are thronging round thee now with tones of mirth,Let not the holy promise of to-day Fade like the clouds that with the morn have birth;But ever bright and sacred may it be,Stored in the treasure-cell of memory.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.