THE LIFE VOYAGE—A BALLAD. BY FRANCES S. OSGOOD. Once in the olden time there dwelt, Beside the sounding sea, A little maid—her garb was coarse, Her spirit pure and free. Her parents were an humble twain, And poor, as poor could be; Yet gaily sang the guileless child, Beside the sounding sea. The hut was bare, and scant the fare, And hard her little bed; But she was rich! A single gem Its beauty round her shed. She walked in light!—’twas all her wealth— That pearl whose lustrous glow Made her white forehead dazzling fair, And pure as sunlit snow. Her parents died! With tears, she cried, “God will my father be!” Then launched alone her shallop light, And bravely put to sea. The sail she set was virgin-white As inmost lily leaf, And angels whispered her from Heaven, To loose it or to reef. And ever on the dancing prow One glorious brilliant burned, By whose clear ray she read her way, And every danger learned: For she had hung her treasure there, Her heaven-illumined pearl! And so she steered her lonely bark, That fair and guileless girl! The wind was fresh, the sails were free, High dashed the diamond spray, And merrily leaping o’er the sea The light skiff left the bay! But soon false, evil spirits came, And strove, with costly lure, To bribe her maiden heart to shame, And win her jewel pure: They swarmed around the fragile boat, They brought her diamonds rare, To glisten on her graceful throat, And bind her flowing hair! They brought her gold from Afric-land; And from the sea-king’s throne, They pilfered gems to grace her hand And clasp her virgin zone. But still she shook the silken curl Back from her beaming eyes, And cried—“I bear my spotless pearl Home, home to yonder skies! “Now shame ye not your ocean gems And Eastern gold to show? Behold! how mine but burns them all! God’s smile is in its glow!” Fair blows the wind, the sail swells free, High shoots the diamond spray, And merrily o’er the murmuring sea The light boat leaps away! They swarmed around the fragile bark, They strove, with costlier lure, To bribe her maiden heart to shame, And win her jewel pure. “We bring thee rank—we bring thee power— We bring thee pleasures free— No empress, in her silk-hung bower, May queen her realm like thee! “Now yield us up the one, white pearl! ’Tis but a star, whose ray Will fail thee, rash, devoted girl, When tempests cloud thy way.”