The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-11
VICTORIA.

round
The circle of her still expanding Rule,
Whose Sceptre was self-sacrifice, whose
Throne
only a loftier height from which to scan
The purpose of her People, their desires,
Thoughts, hopes, fears, needs, joys, sor-
rows sadneSSeS,
Their strength in veal, their comforter
in VICE.
That this her mortal habitation should
Lie cold and tenantless Alas! Alas!
Too often Life has to be taught by
The meaning and the pricelessness of
Love.
Not understood till lost But She-but
She
Was loved as Monarch ne'er was loved
before,
From girlhood unto womanhood. and
grew
Fresh as the leaf, and fragrant as the
flower,
In grace and comeliness until the Gay
OF happy nuptial, glad maternity,
More closely welded to her Peoples
heart
By each fresh. tie that knitted Her to
Him
Whose one sole thought was how She
still might be
Helpmate to England; England then;
scarce more
Or bounded by the name of British
Realm,
But by some native virtue broadening
out
Into an Empire wider than all names,
Till like some thousand-years, out
branching oak,
It's mildness overshadowed half the
globe
With peaceful arms and hospitable
S~N'' Wv y
But there came to Her an hour,
When nor Sceptre, Throne, nor
Power,
Children's love nor nations grief
Brought oblivion or relief,
When the Consort at her side
Worthiest mentor, wisest guide,
Was by Heavens divine decree
From her days withdrawn, and She
AS dethroned by her distress,
Yelled her widowed loneliness;
And, though longing still to hear
Voice SO reverenced and dear
All her People understood
Sacredness of Widowhood.
Then when She came amongst them YET
once more,
She came in Autumn radiance, Summer
gone, :uN
Leaf still on branch, but fruit upon the
! bough,
=, Fruit of long years and ripe experience
A shade of grave bereavement on hel
face,
withal more wise. more pitiful, tender
more
To others anguish and necessities,
More loved, more reyerenced even, thar
before;
Till not alone the jewellers in Her Isle
But the adventurous manhood of IL
loins,
In far-off seas and virgin Continents
They won and welded to domestic law
And homes well-ordered household sane
titles,
Hailed Her as Mother of the Mothe
Land,
Queen, Empress, more than Empress o
| than Queen,
The Lady of the. World on high en-
! throned
BY right divine of duties well fulfilled
To be the pattern to all Queens, a.
All women, and the consciences of me-
Who look on duty as mans only right.
Nor yet alone to those empowered to b
The subjects of her Sceptre, proud {:
pray,
God save our Empress-Qu Viceoria:
But those, our knsmen oversee, thu
With no less pride, to Kingless govern
j ment,
Ftonored and loved Her, hailed He
Queen of Queens,
Peerless among all women in the would
Ard long and late this happy seaso
wore,
This mellow gracious Autumn of he
This sweet grave Indian Summer, Ill
We grew
Tc deem it limitless, and half forgot
Mortality's decree. And now there fall
A sudden sadness on our lives. and w
Can only bow disconsolate heals all
weep,
And look out from our lonely hearth
and see
The homeless drifting OF the winser mist
And hear the requiem of the winter vino
But from that Otherwhere mans Fait
and Hope,
And mortal need for immortality
Inv sibly conceive, l seem to hear
A Well-remembered voice, august an
mild
Rebukfng our dependency, and thus
Bidding US face the Future, as She face
Anguish and loss. sorrow of life an
death,
The fearful sadness at the heart c
things.
Dry your tears and cease to weep,
Dead am not; no, asleep;
And asleep but to your seeing,
Lifted to that land of Being.
Lying on life's other shore,
Wakeful now for evermore
Looking thence, 1 still will be,
So that you forget not me,
All that, more than, / was there
weighted with my Crown of care,
over you l still will reign.
Stlu will comfort and sustain,
through all welfare, through all Ill,
1ou shall be my People still
nave left you, of my race,
Sons of wisdom, wives of grace
VINO again have offspring, reared
10 revere and be revered
nose on Mighty Thrones, and thes
Doonned thereto when Heaven DEGREES
1Hief amongst them all is One.
ven you Know, my first-born Son,
Best and tenderest son to me,
nelr or my Authority.
he through all my lonelier wears
tempered with his smile my tears
ana was, in my widowed want.
Comforter and confdant.
therefore, trustful, steadfast brave
Give Him what to Me Won gave
Who am watching from Above.
reverence, Loyalty, and Love!
And these gifts He back will give
Long as He shall reign and live"
Alfred Austin in the London Times.
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