Classic Poem

Once through an autumn wood
I roamed in tearful mood,
By grief dismayed, doubting, and ill at ease;
When from a leafless oak,
Methought low murmurs broke,
Complaining accents, as of words like these:

" Incline thy mighty ear
Great Mother Earth, and hear
How I, thy child, am sorely vexed and tossed;
No one to heed my moan,
I shudder here, alone
With my destroyers, wind and snow, and frost.

Then low and unaware
This answer cleaved the air,
This tender answer, " Doubting one be still;
Oh trust to me, and know
The wind, the frost, the snow,
Are but my servants sent to do my will.

" For the destroyer frost,
His labor is not lost,
Rid thee he shall of many noisome things;
And thou shalt praise the snow
When drinking far below
Refreshment sweet from overflowing springs.

" My child thou'rt not alone,
I love thee, hear thy moan,
But winds that fret thee only causeth thee
To more securely stand,
More firmly clasp my hand,
And soaring upward, closer cling to me. "

Then from my burdened heart
The shadows did depart,
Then said I softly — " winds of sorrow blow
So I but closer cling
To thee, my Lord, my King,
Who loves me, even me, so weak and low. "


Sing and rejoice,
With heart and voice,
An heir is born to the British Crown,
A royal son,
A princely one,
One born to glory and renown.


A nation's mirth
Rose at his birth,
On every side great joy prevails,
The nation's joy,
The royal boy,
Our dear Queen's infant, Prince of Wales,


With gladness we
Rejoiced to see
A virgin wear Britannia's crown,
Then hailed the bride,
By Albert's side,
And saw her look benignly down.


And now with joy
We hail thee boy,
Heir of thy royal mother's fame,
And see our Isle
With rapture smile,
Resounding Albert Edward's name
Edward, a name
Of deathless fame,
A name each British bosom hails,
That name we see
Revived in thee,
Another Edward Prince of Wales.


O blessings rest
With kisses prest,
On that sweet infant bud that grows,
An early flower,
One born to power,
A scion of the royal rose.


Our bosoms burn,
To thee we turn,
In willing homage bend the knee;
Hope of our Isle,
We see thee smile,
Edward the hero hail in thee.


We pray for thee,
Our king to be,
The greatest prince the world e'er saw.
May the great King
His blessings bring,
And be His Book of life thy law.


May God above,
In boundless love,
Guard thee and keep thee as his own,
And bless thee so,
That thou mayest grow
Up to support thy mother's throne.


May glory shine,
And grace combine,
Pure as thy father's life be thine.
Mayest thou be strong
Against all wrong,
And be a Prince by Right Divine.


May future days
Record the praise
Of our Victoria's royal son.
May all the earth
Hear of his worth,
And of the greatness he has won.


Innocent babe,
In cradle laid,
Unconscious cause of all this joy,
Each Briton's prayer,
For Britain's heir,
Is " Angels guard thee, royal boy. "