Frances Ridley Havergal
(1836-1879)
A pearl-strewn pathway of untold gladness,
Flecked by no gloom, by no weary sadness,
Such be the year to thee!
A crystal rivulet, sunlight flinging,
Awakening blossoms, and joyously singing
Its own calm melody.
A symphony soft, and sweet, and low,
Like the gentlest music the angels know
In their moments of deepest joy;
’Mid earth’s wild clamour thy spirit telling
Of beauty and holiness, upward swelling,
And mingling with the sky.
A radiant, fadeless Eden flower,
Unfolding in loveliness hour by hour,
Like a wing-veiled seraph’s face—
Such be the opening year to thee,
Shrouded though all its moments be,
Unknown as the bounds of space.
Blessings unspoken this year be thine!
Each day in its rainbow bright entwine
New gems in thy joy-wreathed crown;
May each in the smile of Him be bright,
Who is changeless Love and unfolding Light,
Till the glory seem to thy trancèd sight
As heaven to earth come down.
[From Jim’s personal copy of The Ministry of Song
by Frances Ridley Havergal
(London: James Nisbet & Co., 1885), pages 170-171]
