WHERE are the countless crystals, So perfect and so bright, That robed in softest ermine The winter day and night? Not lost! for, life to many a root, They rise again in flower and fruit. Where are the mighty forests, And giant ferns of old, That in primeval silence Strange leaf and frond unrolled? Not lost! for now they shine and blaze, The light and warmth of Christmas days. Where are our early lessons, The teachings of our youth, The countless words forgotten Of knowledge and of truth? Not lost! for they are living still, As power to think, and do, and will. Where is the seed we scatter, With weak and trembling hand, Beside the gloomy waters, Or on the arid land? Not lost! for after many days Our prayer and toil shall turn to praise. Where are the days of sorrow, And lonely hours of pain, When work is interrupted, Or planned and willed in vain? Not lost! it is the thorniest shoot That bears the Master's pleasant fruit. Where, where are all God's lessons, His teachings dark or bright? Not lost! but only hidden, Till, in eternal light, We see, while at His feet we fall, The reasons and results of all. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE GOODLY SONG by PAUL VERLAINE MY SISTER'S SLEEP by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI SPIRIT WHOSE WORK IS DONE (WASHINGTON CITY, 1865) by WALT WHITMAN POEM FOR PICTURE: TO A PORTRAIT BY EDWARD STEICHEN (RACHMANINOFF) by FRANK ANKENBRAND JR. THE BOSPHORUS REVISITED by SEYMOUR GREEN WHEELER BENJAMIN THE SLEEPING BEAUTY by MATHILDE BLIND SPRING NIGHT by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |