Untitled Page 17

They saw the serpent coiled among the flowers,

And, e'er your fingers touched the dainty things,

The angels smote the blossoms with their wings,

And on the ground the scattered treasures lay, -

That disappointmnet saved your soul that day.

You mourned as if some precious good were lost,

They saved your blinded soul a greater cost ;

You grieved, and turned complaining eyes to God,

Forgetful that His angels with you trod.

You nigh had dashed your foot against a stone,

They saved you when you dreamed you were alone.

There is no failure humbling us to tears,

There is no mystery moving us to fears,

That ends not somewhere in beatitude,

Itself a proof that God is kind and good.

The Master proved by every woe He bore,

However great to pain, God's love is more ;

And this we learn, though nurtured by long tears,

The plant of grief bears flowers in after years.

12.