Which, piled near home, grows green with many Clang, clang !-- again, my mates, what grows a weed, Beneath the hammer's potent blows? Say on what sands these links shall sleep, Fathoms beneath the solemn deep ? By stormy Labrador. ANONYMOUS Still, still, whene'er the battle word | For a heart of oak is hangingon every blow, I bode, Is liberty, when men do stand And I see the good ship riding, all in a perilous For justice and their native land, road ; Then Heaven bless the sword ! The low reef roaring on her lee, the roll of ocean poured From stem to stern, sea after sea, the mainmast by the board; The bulwarks down, the rudder gone, the boats THE FORGING OF THE ANCHOR. stove at the chains, Come, see the Dolphin's anchor forged ; 't is at a But courage still, brave mariners, the bower still remains, white heat now : The billows ceased, the flames decreased ; though | And not an inch to flinch he deigns save when ye pitch sky-high, on the forge's brow The little flames still fitfully play through the Then moves his head, as though he said, “Fear nothing, — here am I !" sable mound; the Swing in your strokes in order, let foot and hand And fitfully you still may see the grim smiths keep time, ranking round, All clad in leathern panoply, their broad hands? od Your blows make music sweeter far than any steeple's chime ! only bare ; v But while ye swing your sledges, sing; and let Some rest upon their sledges here, some work the burden be, the windlass there. The Anchor is the Anvil King, and royal crafts men we; The windlass strains the tackle-chains, the black strike in, strike in the sparks begin to dull mound heaves below, their rustling red ! And red and deep a hundred veins burst out at Our hammers ring with sharper din, our work every throe ; will soon be sped ; It rises, roars, rends all outright, — 0 Vulcan, Our anchor soon must change his bed of fiery what a glow ! rich array ”T is blinding white, 't is blasting bright, the For a hammock at the roaring bows, or an oozy high sun shines not so ! couch of clay ; The high sun sees not, on the earth, such fiery | Our anchor soon must change the lay of merry fearful show, craftsmen here, The roof-ribs swarth, the candent hearth, the For the Yeo-heave-o, and the Heave-away, and ruddy, lurid row the sighing seaman's cheer ; Of smiths that stand, an ardent band, like men when, weighing slow, at eve they go far, far before the foe; from love and home, As, quivering through his fleece of flame, the And sobbing sweethearts, in a row, wail o'er the sailing monster slow ocean foam. Sinks on the anvil, — all about the faces fiery grow, In livid and obdurate gloom, he darkens down “Hurrah !" they shout, “leap out, leap out":" at last. bang, bang, the sledges go; ich A shapely one he is, and strong as e'er from cat Hurrah ! the jetted lightnings are hissing high was cast. and low ; A trusted and trustworthy guard, if thou hadst A hailing fount of fire is struck at every squash life like me, ing blow; What pleasures would thy toils reward beneath The leathern mail rebounds the hail; the rattling 81 the deep green sea! cinders strew O deep sea-diver, who might then behold such The ground around ; at every bound the swelter sights as thou ? ing fountains flow ; The hoary monsters' palaces ! methinks what joy And thick and loud the swinking crowd, at every 't were now stroke, pant “Ho !" To go plump plunging down amid the assembly of the wliales, Leap ont, leap out, my masters ; leap out and And feel the churned sea round me boil beneath lay on load! their scourging tails ! Let's forge a goodly anchor, a bower, thick and broad; SAMUEL FERGUSON. LABOR SONG. We women, when afflictions come, We only suffer and are dumb. He gleams out, sunlike, through our sky, Who, flung on the rich breast of luxury, eat of We look up, and through black clouds riven the rankness that kills. We recognize the smile of Heaven. Ah ! little they know of the blessedness toilpurchased slumber enjoys Ours is no wisdom of the wise, Who, stretched on the hard rack of indolence, We have no deep philosophies ; taste of the sleep that destroys ; Childlike we take both kiss and rod, Nothing to hope for, or labor for ; nothing to sigh | For he who loveth knoweth God. DINAH MARIA MULOCK. for, or gain ; Nothing to light in its vividness, lightning-like, bosom and brain ; Nothing to break life's monotony, rippling it o'er TO LABOR IS TO PRAY. with its breath: Nothing but dulness and lethargy, weariness, PAUSE not to dream of the future before us : sorrow, and death ! Pause not to weep the wild cares that come o'erus ; Hark how Creation's deep, musical chorus, But blesséd that child of humanity, happiest man. Unintermitting, goes up into heaven! among men, Never the ocean wave falters in flowing ; Who, with hammer or chisel or pencil, with rud- Never uu Never the little seed stops in its growing ; der or ploughshare or pen, | More and more richly the rose heart keeps glow. Laboreth ever and ever with hope through the L ing, morning of life, Winning home and its darling divinities, — love ties. - love! Till from its nourishing stem it is riven. worshipped children and wife. Round swings the hammer of industry, quickly, “Labor is worship!” the robin is singing ; " the sharp chisel rings, " Labor is worship !" the wild bee is ringing ; And the heart of the toiler has throbbings that stir Listen ! that eloquent whisper, upspringing, not the bosom of kings, – Speaks to thy soul from out nature's great He the true ruler and conqueror, he the true king heart. 8 From the dark cloud flows the life-giving shower ; of his race, Who nerveth his arm for life's combat, and looks From the rough sod blows the soft-breathing Oks the strong world in the face. flower ; DENIS FLORENCE MAC-CARTHY. From the small insect, the rich coral bower ; Only man, in the plan, shrinks from his part. Labor is life! 't is the still water faileth ; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth ; Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth ; Some cotton has lately been imported into Farringdon, where | Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. the milks have been closed for a considerable time. The people, Labor is glory!- the flying cloud lightens ; who were previously in the deepest distress, went out to meet the cotton: the women wept over the bales and kissed them, and Enally sang the Doxology over them." --Spectator of May 14, 1863-) “ PRAISE God from whom all blessings flow,"| Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them Play the sweet keys, wouldst to Praise him who sendeth joy and woe. in tune ! The Lord who takes, the Lord who gives, O praise him, all that dies, and lives. Labor is rest — from the sorrows that greet us ; Rest from all petty vexations that meet us ; He opens and he shuts his hand, Rest from sin-promptings that ever entreat us ; But why we cannot understand : Rest from world-sirens that lure us to ill. Pours and dries up his mercies' food, Work, - and pure slumbers shall wait on thy And yet is still All-perfect Good. pillow ; Work,—thou shaltrideo'er Care's coming billow; We fathom not the mighty plan, Lie not down 'neath Woe's weeping willow, The mystery of Goil and man; Work with a stout heart and resolute will ! Labor is health! Lo, the husbandman reaping,' 'Twas still a round of changing woe, How through his veins goes the life-current Woe never ending, still begun, leaping! That taught my bleeding heart to know How his strong arm in its stalworth pride sweep The poor man's labor 's never done. ing, True as a sunbeam the swift sickle guides. Soon dies the faltering voice of fame; Labor is wealth, — in the sea the pearl groweth; The vow of love's too warm to last; Rich the queen's robe from the cocoon floweth; And friendship, what a faithless dream! From the fine acorn the strong forest bloweth ; And, wealth, how soon thy glare is past ! Temple and statue the marble block hides. But sure one hope remains to save, — The longest course must soon be run, Droop not ! though shame, sin, and anguish are And in the shelter of the grave round thee! The poor man's labor must be done. Bravely fling off the cold chain that hath bound JOHN PHILPOT CURRAN. thee! Look to the pure heaven smiling beyond thee ! Rest not content in thy darkness, — a clod ! GOOD NIGHT. Good night! To each weary, toil-worn wight, Peacefully till morning light. Good night! FRANCES S. OSGOOD. |