MY schoolgirl scans with joy, Her fair head bending low, The god-like Tale of Troy, Bright eyes and cheeks aglow. Dear heart and innocent soul, Thee may the fleeting years, As the swift springtides roll, Bring joy, not tears. For thee may knowledge spread Her fair and ample page, Deep thoughts of sages dead, The poet's noble rage. The gains which science gives, The statesman's royal lore, The master-thought which lives For evermore. For thee let music wake Her deep mysterious chords, Which the rapt soul can take Higher than any words; Art's precious garden smile Through gates enwreathed with flowers, And fairy dreams beguile Thy simple hours. But let no learning dim Those frank and innocent eyes; Still let the morning hymn And daily suffrage rise. Leave knowledge, which the mind And not the heart can move Still, girl; thy treasure find In Faith and Love. |