The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-10-28
For the National Era.
THE CHILD.


THE CHILD.
THh The Ecil by their h4rrthstonr' GRAPHING at
Seuetcy coJt.'-WHITrlER.
chld-a gentle winning child,
Is dancing lightly round my knee,
And laughs that have family smiled
Upon her artless gleo,
The teeth are every one pearl,
Each graceful limb acts we'll its part,
And Innocence, my little girl
Dwells in thy happy heart.
Smooth as the plumage of the dove,
Soft as tho elders down, her cheek,
Where tears and dimples dearly love
To play at hide and seek.
And though tho casket were without
Poor mortal beauty, from this shrine
A deathless spirit flashes out,
A breath of Life Divine.
Thought glancos through tho active brain,
Love beameth through the SOFT black oyos,
Like star-rays from tho brilliant train
That gems the midnight skies.
Hath Time but bondage for this Mind
Hath Earth but thraldom for this Soul
Hath Man but tears. these eyes to blind,
And down this cheek to roll
Perfection hero hath placed His mark
OF fair proportion ON this hand,
And though the velvet skin is dark.
It's dark at His command.
The lispng music of her tone
May fail the white mans heart to stir,
But lie upon tho Great White Throne"
Will bow His car 10 her.
No auburn curl His fat set
To float above her noble brow
But crisped, lamblkc locks fjet
Before His throne may bow;
For He hath numbered all her hairs,
Who numbers all tho cherubim,
And whose wrongs hor, Ilo declares
Hath done that wrong to Him!
His Blood may wash her white as snow
His Light may turn her night TO day
His Love within her heart may glow,
And dry her tears away
For no was pierced and bought and sold,
And scorncd, and scourged, for her-and died
That she might walk the streets Of gold.
Redeemed and sancti6ed
When rocks and mountains fail to hide
The proudcst of Earth's laurollod Kings.
This sister of tho Crucfed
May soar on snowy wings;
And, mingling with tho whito-robed throng,
With thrilling harp and waving palm
Forever sing the holy song
Of Moses and the Lamb,
And is she mine? BY all His prayers,
BY all His tears, by nil His blood,
She is her Master's-and Ho bears
The awful namo of-God
The glorious God of Freedom He
Who made tho light, the wind, tho wave
So free must His own image BIO
That handcuHod tbing-a slave
Who made the Mind to soar SO high,
From sun to sun, through boundless space
Who made the Soul with wings to fly
Up to its Makers face!
Oh God to SEQ Thy miniature
With shackled hands and fettered feet
And then with unrobed soul endure
Thy look-rthat oil must meet
Now, though her color and her birth
Have bowed her neck and bent her knee,
As Gods Vicegerent here on earth,
She must and should BIO free
But oh tho bond around her neck.
Around my struggling soul Is bound
A hugo Constrictor-who can break
Its clasp, or heal its wound
When Moses comes, he comes TO all
Then | among tho first will be
The very FIRST to hear his call,
The first to say, Z" Be Free "
But now our eyes are very dim,
Our ears are dull, our hands are weak
Our souls so palsied, tongue and limb
Seem dead till he shall speak.
And who art thou TO claim u rest
On guilty Pharaoh's guilty throne'"
voice seems sounding through my breast,
With dread, awakening tone!
And yet see, on either hand,
Tho wise, the lovely, and the good,
Who do not hear this stern command
Have misunderstood!
And who will toll with her for bread,
And clothc her form with garments fair
And nil lfo-comforts round her shed.
And bear her load Of carei
And who will guard, as / shall guard.
Her heart from pain, her soul from vice.
And guide her toward the blest reward
Of holy Paradise
L" Who Jseds The ravens uhen hey cry
Who sees the sparrow Dhsn IL faHs -
Away It's all phantasy
know not Him who calls
IIark. joyous as a sinloss bird,
When early dawn hath sweoty smiled,
Again again My car hath heard
Thy growing laugh, poor child
The very look that Peter folt
When, at tho thrice-repcated crow,
His faithloss heart was made 10 melt
That rook burns on mo now
In vain-in yan--no rest I find
My soul Is like a troubled sea
My light is darkness May tho blind,
My Saviour. bow to Thee
Now, by Thy clear, In. shining Light,
Thy holy, dear, constrsining love.
feel the darkness from my sight,
Like falling scales remove.
knew my heart within me burned,