Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1892-01-20
PCETK y.
THE SLEET.


Bl 81. LLGER L. cAErEE, Oh VIRGINIA.
Awake awake The sun is up. Awake and
sally forth.
We've had rain of jewelry from out the fro
len North;
The earth is robed in dazzling white; each tree
is hung with gems.
And diamonds in ten thousand shapes are
hanging from their stems.
Each bush and every humble shrub with pre-
cious stones is strung,
And all the pureSt, brightest things by hand
falls round are flung;
The emerald and the amethyst, the topazcs
behold
And here and there Il ruby red Is sparkling in
the cold.
The clrysoleie and jasper see, and that bright
sardine stone
The holy patmos prophet saw upon the hea-
venly throne
Here all the gold of 0phir shines with all Col
condas store;
And who could ever number up the countless
myrads more?
The Holly. in its darkest green, with crimson
fruit looks gay.
Enchased in solid silver too-how rich is its
display
In green and gold the shaggy Pine seems almost
in blaze,
With all the suns reflected light, yet softencd
TO the gaze.
The Cedar, all thou favored tree, in Scripture
it is told
They laid thee in the house of God and cover
cd thee with gold
But great as was King Solomon, lie nor the
house he made
Was dressed in such msgniicence as thou hast
here displayed.
The Beech tree stands in rich array of long
and shining threads.
Its brittle bOughs are bending low TO earth
their dropping heads;
And now and then some broken limb comes
crashing from on high
And show ring down world or gems that
sparkle rs they fly.
The lofty Oak the hundred limbd! Briareus
of the Trees
Spreads out his pond'rous, icy arms loud crack
ling in the breeze;
And as the reused up lion shakes the dew
drops from his name"
So doth the woodland monarch shake his crys-
tails Ger the plain.
But time would fail to tell of all that bright
and starry host
The North wind brings "to watch the world
from out the realms of frost
Tie meanest thing-the most deformed-the
dry and sapless bough.
The bramble rude-the rugged thorn, are pure
and spotless now.
aye councillors of earth come forth, ye
princes who have gold.
Your diadems. We kings! bring here, the Jew
el'd crowns We hold.
Come woman. in thine ornaments, in all their
costly sheen.
And let them be the loveliest ones that ever
graced a queen
The grass that's trodden under foot--this weed
with branching arms
Thus gitterIng IN the morning sun hath fifty
fold their charms;
Then cast your baubles vile away and bend in
solemn thought,
To Him who hath this gorgeous scene from
storm and tempest wrought
Yet this fair pageant soon must fade before the
breath Of noon,
And by the fiat from OH high your wealth
shall fade as soon:
OH lay not worthless riches up, which moth
and rust assail.
But those VIII ch at the Judgment day through
Christ will then avail.
What though the sun so soon must melt this
frostwork and its forms,
He speaks them into life again, who rides amid
the storms.
SO in the twnkling of an eye" at His last
trumpet dread,
Our bodies, fashioned gloriously, shall rise up
from the dead.
The sun goes up his destined way-how few
do heed my calls
In tears the vision melts away, the baseless
fabric" falls;
too could shed some tea alas that this
sweet scene is past.
For scenes rs sweet it brings to mind, which
fed away as fast.