Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes, the — Volume 10: Before the Curfew by Oliver Wendell Holmes
page 14 of 74 (18%)
page 14 of 74 (18%)
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And which was mightier of the two,
The wisest sibyl never knew, For both alike were real. Sister, the holy maid does well Who counts her beads in convent cell, Where pale devotion lingers; But she who serves the sufferer's needs, Whose prayers are spelt in loving deeds, May trust the Lord will count her beads As well as human fingers. When Truth herself was Slavery's slave, Thy hand the prisoned suppliant gave The rainbow wings of fiction. And Truth who soared descends to-day Bearing an angel's wreath away, Its lilies at thy feet to lay With Heaven's own benediction. A WELCOME TO DR. BENJAMIN APTHORP GOULD ON HIS RETURN FROM SOUTH AMERICA AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS DEVOTED TO CATALOGUING THE STARS OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE |
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