The record-union., 1896-03-29
For the "Record-union."
MARAH.


mensions, from the first impressions
formed by the meeting.
Your name?'' was writing it down in the
book / presented to her;
When she held me enchained by her pres
sence, a self-caught prisoner;
For she answered me Aarah'-My God!
the name that was given on earth
To an angel that once had loved me, be-
fore her heavenly birth.
And her eyes, too, were haZel-what mat
ter? Only this, that my pair in
Had counted their birthdays there, till
they numbered three times seven.
IWenty-one years an angel, and twenty
one years in my heart
Do you wonder the revelation should have
made the warm blood start?
And she stood before me (another) so like
that her raven hair
Shone out to my lifelong hunger, like the
soul of an answered prayer
ohe was only stranger in passing, and |
gave her my hand and book
But memory crowded so closely, so
much there was in her look,
That felt in the grasp extended, the
presence of hands long lost,
And the Hush of a broken love dream
from the pitileSS pillows tossed
The lived-the loved-the lost-what an
army the whole world. Overt
How many ripe hopes and frozen hearts
the homely old earth must cover!
THE old, old fashion, death'-the old,
old broken heart!
The old, old MILL still grinding away and
tearing our lovings apart!
Sne dldn't know-the innocent Soul-What
memory clung to her eyes
what blessing it is, that in little things
we all OF us are not wise
Ihat we cannot read each others souls,
through their window-panes as we
please,
Though we sometimes gaze clear down the
nny r16
shadows, and trees;
Yet something is left, some memory sweet,
a secret with us and God,
Ana may be an angel or two to share
the weight as we onward plod.
I spoke of little things-how did I dare
to use such words as those,
Is anything little that makes up a life,
and such a shadow throws,
That it dips clear through to another
world, over thousand stars,
And has to do with a human SOUL and
makes, and measures and mars,
In the terrible riddle that we call living,
where over half is death.
aye, ninety-nine hhndredthS? Death
swallows alive simply breathe a
breath
To learn the use of pair of lungs and
then we learn to die.
Her breath was seventeen years in
draught-don't ask me how or why
The same old story of love and life, and
death must always win
let the devil int
The best of US tire of the trade he made,
and take our first chance for heaven;
AND some-alasi too many no doubt,
would rather the gift was ungiven
That sent US hurdling through the world
small planets out of track;
And some-why she, listened her whole
life long for God to call her back.
She was not at home, and the earth was
cold; she never took kindly to living,
ana somethlng was lacking, the gift of life
was broken in its giving;
And more than half belonged to heaven
we felt she was ready to fly;
We could see her wings through the clear
blue veins, and we knew she was
early to die.
Still we clung to her the closer for that,
as she stood at heavens gate,
we could see clear through in the glass
wait
If God should call her till we could come.
where she at last would be strong;
1t was selfish of us to hold her back
when she futtered her whole life long
TO break from our grasp, and be at rest.
and reach full growth in heaven;
But Goa is merciful-human love is the
easiest thing forgiven
Her love was as pure and white as Christ,
ana as free from earthly passion;
But 1t was as warm as the sun to me- vet
she followed 1.-The ole, old fashion,
And though God wanted her, couldn't he
wait just a little while for her?
Could He be impatient? He must know
she was born Our prisoner;
Ana lie mas his millions at home with
Him, while we had but only one;
we didn't live in the cursed age that
crucified His Son.
He made us her keepers-why should He
tug and try to get her away?
He didn't? Well! She went all the same
and the clock stopped ticking that
And time dropped his. measure, because of
the treasure that somebody stole from
You may call it God or the angels-no
matter, the world is wide;
But not 50 WIDE as memory is, all
starred and beaded with tears
Ana not lonS-lived as the life of love all
mellowed and hallowed with years.
Why, she is as fresh with her fair brown
eyes, as the eyes of the daisies above
her;
And the love l breathe across the wears
is more than the love of a lover;
For my thirst grows strong, as the nights
grew long. and the cold-faced stars
With all of their gold, they still are cold.
for they cover those eyes of brown;
And for all of my longing, l cannot fly, /
fear l may never have wings:
But to keep us apart-her love and my
heart is one of impossible things.
She would break from heaven to find me
if l were left outside,
And love is Gods majority so I know /
shall claim my bride.
Though | know me a sinner, still know
have more in heaven than here
There isn't much left that wasn't hers.
and she will make it clear
She Will claim her own at Gods white
throne, and He never will say her
But will give us back to each others
arms, to be one forever and aye
l have said she was only stranger. but
the grasp of her hand BETRAYED
Her soul with the soul of a secret e
held it all I'm afraid
AND across the score of winters the bridge
OF our lives was thrown
And felt with a faith newly wakened that
my soul was no longer alone
In the gift of two lives in her travail. a
mother had laid down her own
Twin foundingS, and one at our hearth
life
The angel translated to heaven, had filled
every thought of a wife
The other, unconSciously happy had fallen
to wealthier hands
And half of the world lay between them.
ana the language of other lands
I'LL a providence, threw us together and
the name most sacred to me
My 'Marah'' was held by her sister, wan
dering back from over the sea.
How we fastened the links together of
these one and twenty wears
How the soul of her sainted sister sent IFS
rainbow through our tears.
How God had kept each waiting for the
waiting hand of the other
How our lives and loves thus ripened. had
been left for one another,
Needs. no telling but the fruiting. With
the tender sky above her.
And the sweet caressing twilight. |
brought her more than lover.
The breath of two worlds was upon her.
and the wealth of my loss and gain,
And my JOY was pressed to the yerging
that is always akin to pain;
For down from the seventh heaven. .
soft-winged as the heavenly dove.