The Shasta courier., 1871-07-01
COURIER.
The Ballad of Babie Bell.

Have you not heard the poets tell
How came the dainty Babie Bell
Into this world of ours?
The gates of heaven were left ajar
With folded hands and dreamy eyes,
Wandering out of Paradise,
She saw this planet, like star
Hung in the glistening depth of even,-
Its bridges running to and fro,
Ger which the white winged Angels go,
Bearing the holy Dead to heaven:
She touched bridge OF ffowers,-those feet
so light they did not bend the bells,
OF the celestial asphodelsl
They fell like dew upon he flowers
Then all the air grew strangely sweet
And thus came dainty Babie Bell
Into this world of ours
She came and brought delicious May,
The swallows built beneath the caves
Like sunlight in and out the leaves
The robin went the livelong day;
The lily swung its noiseless bell,
And Ger The porch the trembling vine
Seemed bursting with its veins of wine;
How sweetly, softly, twilight fell
o. earth was full of singing birds,
And opening spring tide flowers,
When the dainty Babie Bell
Come to this world of ours!
Babie, dainty Babie Bell,
How fair she grew from day to day
What woman nature filled her eyes,
What poetry within them lay.
Those deep and tender twilight eyes,
90 fuil OF meaning, pure and bright
AS If she stood within the light.
Of those open gates of Paradise.
And so We loved her more and more;
All, never in our hearts bcf.rc
Was love so lovely born
We felt we had link between
This real world and that unsccn-
The land beyond the morn.
And for lie love of those dear eyes,
For love of her whom God led forth.
(The mothers being ceas ed on earth,
When Babie came from Paradise)
For love of him who snote our lives,
And woke the chords OF JOY and pain.
We said g Dear Christ our hearts bear dow
Like violets alter rain"
And now the orchards, which were white
And red with blossoms when she came,
Were rich in Autumn's mellow prime:
The clustered apples burnt like flame
The soft checked peaches blushcd and ftll,
The ivory chestnut burst its she'll.
The grapes hung purpling in the grange:
And time wrought just as rich change
In little Babe Bell.
Her lissome form more perfect grey,
An in her features we could trace,
In softcned cuives her mothers face!
Her angc'-na;uTc 'ipered too.
We thought her lovely when sLe cane,
Bus she was holy, sanity noe---
Around her pale anGe ic brow
We saw alcAder nng OF flame
Y.
Gods hand had taken away the seal
That held the portals OF her speech
And oft she said few strange words
Whoes meanin, lay beyond our reach,
She never was child to rs
We never held her beng's key;
We could not teach holy thing;
She was Christ's self in purity.
VI
1t came upon by degrees;
We saw its shadow ere it fell,
The knowledge that our God had sent
His messenger for Babie Bell.
We shuddereU with unanguaged pain,
And all our hopes were changed to fears,
And all our thoughts ran into tears
Like sunshine into rain,
We cried aloud in eur belief,
80, smite US gently, gently, Cod
Teach us to bend and kiss the rod,
And perfect grow through grief.
All, how we loved her, God can tell,
Her heart was folded deep il, ours
Our hearts are broken, Babic Bell
VII.
At last he came, the messenger,
The messenger from unseen lands:
And what did dainty Babie Bell?
She only crossed her little hands,
She only looked more meek and fair
We parted back her silken hair /;
We wove the roses round her brow,
White buds, the summers drifted snow
Wrapt her from head to foot in flowers
And thus went dainty Babe Bell
Out of this world of ours