Page images
PDF
EPUB

SPEAK GENTLY.

SPEAK gently! it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently! let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here.

Speak gently! love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently friendship's accents flow-
Affection's voice is kind.

Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild;
It may not long remain.

Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear;

Pass through this life as best they may, 'Tis full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the aged one,

Grieve not the careworn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run—
Let such in peace depart.

Speak gently, kindly, to the poor,
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word.

104

MY LITTLE BROTHER.

Speak gently to the erring; know
They must have toiled in vain ;
Perchance unkindness made them so,
Oh! win them back again!

Speak gently! He who gave His life
To bend man's stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, "Peace, be still!"

Speak gently! 'tis a little thing

Dropp'd in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy which it may bring
Eternity shall tell.

MY LITTLE BROTHER.*

LITTLE brother, darling boy,
You are very dear to me:
I am happy-full of joy,

When your smiling face I see.

How I wish that you could speak,

And could know the words I say;

Pretty stories I would seek,

To amuse you every day :

*This, with the two following Poems, inserted by permission of Messrs. W. Oliphant & Co., Edinburgh.

THE LAMB'S LULLABY.

All about the honey-bees,

Flying past us in the sun;
Birds that sing among the trees,
Lambs that in the meadows run.

I'll be

very kind to you,

Never strike or make you cry,
As some naughty children do,
Quite forgetting God is nigh.

Shake your rattle-here it is—
Listen to its merry noise;
And when you are tired of this,
I will bring you other toys.

105

M. L. DUNCAN.

THE LAMB'S LULLABY.

THE pretty little lambs that lie,
And sleep upon the grass,
Have none to sing them lullaby
But the night winds as they pass.

While I, a happy little maid,

Bid dear papa good-night;

And in my crib so warm am laid,

And tuck'd up snug and tight.

106

THE LAMB'S LULLABY.

And then some pretty hymn Ann sings
Until to sleep I go;

But the young helpless lambs, poor things,
Have none to lull them so.

Haste, kind mamma, and call them here,
Where they'll be warm as I;

For in the chilly fields, I fear,
Before the morn they'll die.

MOTHER.

The lambs sleep in the fields, 'tis true,
Without a lullaby;

And yet they are as warm as you
Beneath a summer sky.

They choose some dry and grassy spot,
Beneath the shady trees;

To other songs they listen not
Than the pleasant evening breeze.

And when the night is bitter cold,
The shepherd comes with care,
And leads them to his peaceful fold;
They're safe and shelter'd there.

How happy are the lambs, my love,
How safe and calm they rest;
But you a Shepherd have above,
Of all kind shepherds best.

107

EVENING HYMN.

His lambs He gathers in His arms,
And in His bosom bears;

How blest, how safe from all alarms,
Each child His love who shares !

Oh, if you'll be His gentle child,
And listen to His voice,
Be loving, dutiful, and mild,
How will mamma rejoice!

MARY LUNDIE DUNCAN.

EVENING HYMN.

JESUS, tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless Thy little lamb to-night:
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day Thy hand has led me,
And I thank Thee for Thy care;
Thou hast clothed me, warm'd, and fed me,
Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven,

Bless the friends I love so well; Take me, when I die, to heaven, Happy there with Thee to dwell.

M. L. DUNCAN.

« PreviousContinue »