F. B. & SN. [Illustration] MY DESIRE. I. O that the gentle Muse would stir my brain, And give expressive words for me to pen. Would put in verse great thoughts born to remain, A wondrous poem prized by Englishmen. II. O that before I leave this frail abode, And talents granted me have passed to clay, Would that I, too, could claim that I’d bestowed, Like poets great, a work that lives for aye. T. G. W. H. [Illustration] REMEMBER. In your sunny hours remember Summer days soon come and go; And a mournful, sad November All too soon this truth will show. In your darkest hours remember, Every cloud is silver lined, And though life’s oft like December, Still there lurks the Spring behind. THE SUNDIAL. When the shadow is on the sundial Above the dear old garden door, And summer days once more now smile, As they so often have before. When morning light transforms to noon, And noon to the closing day, And brightest hours have passed so soon That we all would have wished to stay. When life has reached its eventide, And each ray is from the west, And sunbeams to the dial confide That the hour they’ve marked calls rest; Then I wander midst the flowers Until the gloaming ends the day, And the dew has soaked, like showers Which descend in glorious May. I pause before the door awhile, Watch the glimmering light depart, Note that darkness hides the sundial, Although great peace has filled my heart. T. G. W. H. [Illustration] CHANGE. Learn a lesson from this dial, Dwell not on the past; Greet the present with a smile, For future cannot last. To-morrow soon becomes to-day, The present falls behind, And as each moment glides away My maxim comes to mind. THE DIAL’S MOTTO. I.