Show I IT MIGHT l ItA SlAVE HAVE nEE j 1 M Mt T t I If X J For all sad wor words of ot tongue tong or ot p pen pen n The saddest of oe those lt It ml might ht ht have n been Theres There's a dolorous cheat chent in tho wor words s I so sweet For their sadness is hardly real Or tho sadness the they toll tell as my heart hoart knows well Is at most but a sad Ideal We may picture the vanishing yesterday yesterday yester yester- da day In tho the rarest of or tints or in somber gra gray a n glad glad ad time timo since it left lert us an here And theres there's never nover a n cause for tor a sigh I or 01 tear It might have ha been worse and the good I we sought Bought Might lIght havo have proved pro with the saddest of oi sorrows fraught When hen tho the poet had sung with his hits silver tongue Of or a fanciful sorrow fleeting Had ho never a line for the jo joys s 's divine That are over ever our lives lIvos completing We Wo may moy breathe of or the tho shadows shadow our days have known Should our breathings forever th tho S shades bemoan Should wo we sigh when we tell of or the tho dim twilight There might have havo been darkness of or p darkest night And wo we might havo have been left lert in the m gloom to grope J With never a gleam bleam from the tine star of or in hope ape In tho the struggle glo and strife of ot this wearIng wearing wear wear- i ing life lire When we long for tor rest worth winn winninG win win- n ning I n g. g Let us think o of tho tIne woe that our souls might know knowIn In an Idleness dark with sinning When we wo sail our bark over O stormy waves aVes Without finding the harbor our heart L mOB most t craves ves And we think had we s sailed on another tack Wo We c should never nc have wished to b bo n sailing back Let us think though the waters are art I hardly fair rail That wo ve might have found Cound utter shIpwreck ship shIp- wreck there There are troubles and tears In the tInt i round of years yearN When there might havo have been peace I and laughter But the peace might aught have led 1011 to a a. I. I deeper dread And Anti a greater disquiet after And tho tIne laughter so clear clean r rand and glad slad Might have ended in tears of or all tears team u most moat sad For the current of ot pi pleasure ensure more closely p flows B By the river of or sorrow than thun human knows known 1 AntI And wo we never may tell as they onward wend When hen the sweet with tho bitter ma may There were wonderful dreams with i their gleams That were full of or delight an and beauty There Thero were wearying wearying- ways was In the tho long lont That aro are part port of ot our path of or duty And the tho way might have havo brightened with blossoms sweet And AntI there thero might have been roses be beneAth be- be neath our feet teet Ah yes CS but the tIne Va way of or tho the might have been MIS Might lIght hans hU led us to the wilds or of sin While the path of ot tho the present though rough Indeed To a beautiful country at t lat last may lead A. A E E. Hopkins |