Annie Herbert
(1844-1932)
When the mists have rolled in splendor
From the beauty of the hills,
And the sunshine, warm and tender,
Falls in kisses on the rills,
We may read love’s shining letter
In the rainbow of the spray,
We shall know each other better
When the mists have cleared away.
Chorus
We shall know as we are known,
Nevermore to walk alone,
In the dawning of the morning
When the mists have cleared away;
In the dawning of the morning
When the mists have cleared away.
If we err in human blindness,
And forget that we are dust;
If we miss the law of kindness
When we struggle to be just,
Snowy wings of peace shall cover
All the plain that hides away,
When the weary watch is over,
And the mists have cleared away.
When the silver mist has veiled us
From the faces of our own,
Oft we deem their love has failed us,
And we tread our path alone;
We should see them near and truly,
We should trust them day by day,
Neither love nor blame unduly,
If the mists were cleared away.
When the mists have ris’n above us,
As our Father knows his own,
Face to face with those that love us,
We shall know as we are known.
Lo! beyond the orient meadows
Floats the golden fringe of day;
Heart to heart, we bide the shadows
Till the mists have cleared away.1
- This last half of this final stanza is quoted by Isaiah Reid in “Advance by Disappointment”. ↩