Classic Poem

Behind the sunset's bars in the wide West,
We catch the radiance of the Land of Gold;
The dazzling splendors of its wealth untold
Flash through our dreams, and wake to vague unrest
The soul — with Life's dull weariness opprest,
Or wrapped in weeds of sorrow, fold on fold —
Till, with sheer longing and despair grown bold,
We turn to seek that Land where all are blest.

But the Gold fades, and the strong stars arise
That look beyond the sunset and the sun;
They see our little world swing far below,
While over it imperial planets glow —
From Heaven they whisper, " Heaven cannot be won
Until great Death has come to make men wise. "