Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-04-29
From Hours at Home, for April.
MERLE THE COUNSELLOR.
NEW POEM BY DIR. ). G. HOLLAND.

NEW POEM BY DIR. J. G. HOLLAND.
Old Merle, the counselor and guide,
And tall young Rolfe walked side by side
At the sweet hour of eventide.
The yellow light of parting day
Upon the peaceful landscape lay,
And touched tho mountain far away.
The tinEling of the distant herds.
And the low twitter of the birds,
Mingled with childhood's happy words.
The old man raised his trembling palm,
And barred his brow to meet the balm,
That fell with twilight's dewy calm;
And one could see that, to his thought,
The scenes and sounds around him brought
Suggestions of the heaven he sought.
But Rolfo. his young companion, bent
His moody brow in discomfort,
And sadly murmured as he went.
For vagrant passions, fierce and grim,
And fearful memories haunted him,
That made the evening glory dim.
Then spoke the cheerful voice of Merle:
One almost sees the gates Of Tearl.
"Nay, ono can hardly look amiss
For heaven, in such scene as this,
Or fail to feel its pleasant bliss.
$50 near we stand to holy things,
And all our high imaginings,
That faith forgets to lift her wings.''
Then answered Rolfe.. with bitter tone:
aft thou hast visions OF the throne,
Enjoy them-they are all your own.
"For me there lives no God of love;
For me there bends ne heaven above;
And Peace, the gently brooding dove,
"Has flown afar, and in her stead
Fierce vultsres wheel above my head,
And hope is sick and faith is dead.
"Death can but loose loathsome bond,
And from the depths of my despond
I see no ray of light beyond"
It was a sad, discordant strain,
That brought old Merle to earth again,
And filed his soul with solemn pain,
At length they reached leafy wood,
And walked in silence. till they stood
Within the fragrant solitude.
Then spake old Merle with gentle art:
~ know the secret of thy heart,
And will, if thou desire, impart."
Rolfe answered with a hopeless sigh,
But from the tear that brimmed his eye,
The old man gladly caught reply,
And spoke: "Beyond these forest trees
A city stands ; and sparkling seas
Watt up to it the evening breeze.
"Thou canst not see its gilded domes,
Its plumes Of smoke, its pleasant homes
Or catch the CLEAN of surf that foams
"And dies upon its verdant shore,
But there it stands and there the roar,
Of life shall swell for evelmore
"The path we walk is fair and wide,
But still our vision is denied
The city and its nursing tide.
"Thc path we walk is wide and fair,
But curves and wanders here and there,
And buid ds the wall of our despair.
"Makc straight the path, then shall shine
Through trembling walls Of trees and vine
The vision fair for which We pine.
"And thou, my son. so long hast been
Along the crooked ways of sin,
That they have closed and shut thee in.
"Make straight the path before thy feet,
And walk within it firm and feet.
And thou shalt see. in visions sweet,
"And constant as the love supreme,
With closer gaze and brighter beam.
The peaceful heaven that fills my dream.
He paused: no more his lips could say;
And then. beneath the twilight gray,
The silent pair retraced their way.
But in the young mans eyes light
Shone strong and resolute and bright.
For which Merle thanked God that night.