Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE WANDERING SUNBEAM, by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL Poet's Biography First Line: It wandered far, that sunbeam bright Last Line: Is heaven's eternal shadeless light Subject(s): Heaven; Light; Paradise | ||||||||
IT wandered far, that sunbeam bright, To mortal eyes of purest light, And, gladdening all o'er whom it beamed, A seraph's smile of joy it seemed. But farther yet it longed to soar, Where earthly darkness dims no more, To visit that abode of light, Too dazzling far for human sight. On glowing wing through space it flew, Till Heaven's own glory was in view, And through the pearly gates it passed, Which only light, not shadow, cast. Then burst upon the wondering Ray The radiance fair of perfect Day. A beauteous seraph passed along, The Sunbeam heard the thrilling song; But quickly ceased the gladsome lay, The swift-winged seraph fled away! What might that haste, that strange fear mean? What dreaded spectre had he seen? 'An earth-born cloud of darksome Night Hath dared to scale the walls of light; O'er yon fair hill a shade is thrown, Which only in those worlds is known Which far from Heaven's pure boundaries lie, To Chaos' gloomy realm more nigh.' Thus spake he to a marvelling throng, But gazed not on the Sunbeam long; An angel's eye was far too pure E'en that fair Sunray to endure. Nor long remained it there to tell In what strange darkness Earth must dwell, Too gross with beams of heavenly birth To mix, yet to return to Earth Too glorious, since its joyful gaze Had met those all-effulgent rays. Half way to Earth it flew, and there, While yet its wing Heaven's radiance bare, It rested, and became a star, To tell Earth's children from afar, How infinitely pure and bright Is Heaven's eternal shadeless light | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE END OF LIFE by PHILIP JAMES BAILEY SEVEN TWILIGHTS: 6 by CONRAD AIKEN THE BOOK OF THE DEAD MAN (#19): 2. MORE ABOUT THE DEAD MAN AND WINTER by MARVIN BELL THE WORLDS IN THIS WORLD by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR A SKELETON FOR MR. PAUL IN PARADISE; AFTER ALLAN GUISINGER by NORMAN DUBIE BEAUTY & RESTRAINT by DANIEL HALPERN HOW IT WILL HAPPEN, WHEN by DORIANNE LAUX IF THIS IS PARADISE by DORIANNE LAUX CONSECRATION HYMN by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL I DID THIS FOR THEE! WHAT HAST THOU DONE FOR ME? by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL A BIRTHDAY GREETING TO MY FATHER, 1860 by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL |
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