Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, I STILL LIVE, by ELIZABETH DOTEN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

I STILL LIVE, by                    
First Line: O thou, whose love is changeless
Last Line: I thank thee that I live.
Alternate Author Name(s): Doten, Lizzie
Subject(s): Angels; God; Heaven; Immortality; Love; Paradise


O THOU, whose love is changeless,
Both now and evermore;
Source of all conscious being.
Thy goodness I adore.
Lord, I would ever praise Thee,
For all Thy love can give;
But most of all, O Father!
I thank Thee that I live.

I live! O ye who loved me!
Your faith was not in vain;
Back through the shadowy valley
I come to you again.
Safe in the love that guides me,
With fearless feet I tread—
My home is with the angels—
O, say not I am dead!

Not dead! O, no, but lifted
Above all earthly strife;
Now first I know the meaning,
And feel the power of life—
The power to rise uncumbered
By woe, or want, or care;
To breathe fresh inspiration
From pure, celestial air;—

To feel that all the tempests
Of human life have passed,
And that my ark, in safety rests
On the mount at last;
To send my soul's great longings,
Like Noah's dove, abroad,
And find them swift returning,
With signs of peace from God;—

To soar in fearless freedom
Through broad, blue, boundless skies
And catch the radiant gleaming
Of love-lit, angel eyes;
To feel the Father's presence
Around me, near or far,
And see His radiant glory
Stretch onward, star by star;—

To feel those grand upliftings
That know not space nor time;
To hear all discords ending
In harmony sublime;
To know that sin and error
Are dimly understood,
And that which man calls Evil
Is undeveloped Good;—

To stand in spell-bound rapture
On some celestial height,
And see God's glorious sunshine
Dispel the shades of night;
To feel that all creation
With love and joy is rife;—
This, O my earthly loved ones,
This is Eternal Life!

There, eyes that closed in darkness
Shall open to the morn;
And those whom death had stricken,
Shall find themselves new-born;
The lame shall leap with gladness,
The blind rejoice to see;
The slave shall know no master.
And the prisoner shall be free.

There, the worn and heavy-laden
Their burdens shall lay down;
There, crosses, borne in meekness,
At length shall win the crown;
And lonely hearts that famished
For sympathy and love,
Shall find a free affection
In the angel-home above.

O, children of our Father!
Weep not for those who pass,
Like rose-leaves gently scattered,
Like dew-drops from the grass.
Ay, look not down in sadness,
But fix your gaze on high;
They only dropped their mantles—
Their souls can never die.

They live! and still unbroken
Is that magnetic chain,
Which, in your tearful blindness,
You thought was rent in twain.
That chain of love was fashioned
By more than human art,
And every link is welded
So firm it cannot part.

They live! but O, not idly,
To fold their hands to rest,
For they who love God truly,
Are they who serve him best.
Love lightens all their labor,
And makes all duty sweet;
Their hands are never weary,
Nor way-worn are their feet.

Thus by that world of beauty,
And by that life of love,
And by the holy angels
Who listen now above,
I pledge my soul's endeavor,
To do whate'er I can
To bless my sister woman,
And aid my brother man.

O Thou, whose love is changeless,
Both now and evermore,
Source of all conscious being!
Thy goodness I adore.
Lord, I would ever praise Thee
For all Thy love can give;
But most of all, O Father,
I thank Thee that I live.





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