Yet others could not still the voice within, Nor disregard tradition's hopeful tale. They called a council; but it caused some din, And all their efforts seemed at first to fail, Till one wise head suggested this compact, Expressed, no doubt, in dragon larva lore; That if that brighter life were actual fact, And all who rose in golden sunshine soar, Each must return to tell the joyful tale, And o'er the waters shake his sapphire wings, So all may see, and their bright comrade hail, And talk about the tidings which he brings. Now each returns, clad in his bright array; Skims o'er the grassy lake with gauze-like wings, Attracts their notice by his plumage gay, And they collect to hear the news he brings. Then, holding fast, he buzzes out his song, And seeks to woo them to a brighter world. And he succeeds; for see, the larva strong Climb up the grass, and soon in light enfurled, They wait the growth of wings, then burst their shells, Shake loose the gauzy folds, and soar away; But soon come back again their joy to tell, And help their brothers to a brighter day. Perhaps our loved ones do not always stay In far-off heaven, and leave their comrades lone; Tho' yet unseen, may hover round our way, And see our toil, and hear our daily moan; And tho' we cannot see their lovely forms, Nor hear full well the whispers of their voice, May shield us oft in life's tempestuous storms, And when we victories gain, with us rejoice. They whisper _thoughts_, perhaps, if not word sounds, And help to waken longings for our rest; And thus allure our hearts beyond earth's bounds To joy and home, upon our Saviour's breast. O may I heed the whispers which they bring, And seek the grace which will my heart prepare To climb from earth and take on angel wing, Then soar aloft, to find my home up _there_! A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN As the caged eagle neared the mountain range, O'er which he oft had soared on pinions strong, He clapped his wings, moved by some impulse strange, And then fell dead his prison floor along. So Moses stood on Pisgah's heights alone, With sight undimmed, and unabated strength; He gazed with rapture on the vision shown, Of the fair land in all its breadth and length; He saw the vale of Eschol clad with vine, Mount Libbanus adorned with lordly trees, Gilead and Achor, with their lowing kine, And verdant Sharon swept by the sea breeze; He saw the spot where Jacob's ladder stood, The oaks at Mamre where their father prayed, Saw Bashan with its pastures and its wood, And the rude cave where Abram Sarah laid. Saw the whole land--its hills and vales and streams, Its lakes and pools, its vineyards and its groves, A wealth and glory far beyond his dreams; Better, it seemed, than all earth's treasure troves. God then revealed a glimpse of His own face, Which Moses once desired, but God withheld, But finished now the God-ordained race, The battle fought, and every passion quelled.