Aenigma Vitae Author:John Wilson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. LIFE IN THE FIELD OF DEA TH. path led under the Cubly, a fair young Alp, which, with her mantle of dark pines powdered with fresh snow, glitter... more »ed in the sunshine, laughing as if in anticipation of wearing ere long her bridal-wreath of apple-blossoms. The sunshine had brought external nature into glad harmony ; and, entering deep into the inmost soul, seemed to give freer access for the all-pervading sunshine of Divine love. Glorious light ! with health-giving warmth for the feeble, with inspiring splendour for the doubting and sorrowing ; fitly has it been called by the Psalmist the visible " garment of God." There is something deeply wrong with the spirit which does not make symphony with nature's rhythm on such a day, until all pessimistic doubt and gloom is dispelled ; and which does not come into accord with the heart of love which beats behind the pulsing life of nature. Our steps led into a spot where the polyglot sounds were unheard ; and where, because the stillness isvery deep, there is fitter scope for quiet reflection. This place is a garden of vanished flowers which await a wonderful spring-time. The little furrows all over it—ripple-marks of the tide of Death—shall yet burst with awakening life. All around, the pathetic farewells recorded by sorrowing friends— " Au revoir," " Auf Wiedersehen," " Rulte sanft" " Stille Ruhe in Gott"—breathe of hope that their sleepers shall yet awake in God's spring-time. How much happier is this spot than the cemeteries of ancient Paganism ! One sleeper far away from his native mountains in Scotland lies beneath this laconic Christian motto, " Till He come." Here, again, is the good-night wish of friends for another departed : " Que I'Eternel tourne sa face -vers toi." Children are naturally afraid of going to slee...« less