Life Below Poems - v. 1 Author:Life Volume: v. 1 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1868 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than ... more »a million books for free. Excerpt: SL O'ER life of the first poem years had past, Few years, yet in those few had grown a man The young store-clerk whose pen had further'd it. For those years had compress'd in pressing times So many long days' toils that took but one, So many friendships form'd in forming camps, So many crowded tramps toward victory, So many honors gain'd through single deeds, So many funerals for Faith to face, So many lonely tears of suffering, So much of Lie doom'd to eternal death, So much of Truth saved for eternal prime, That many a sire of threescore years and ten Told them, might weep his own as half a life! Nor had the brave youth left that sea of war, Those stormy blasts, and death 'mid fire and wreck, For mildly murmuring rills of rhyme again, Ere the loud waves still roaring roar'd alone To bid all heed how near, how dear the port! But then, with wounded limb, at home once more, With joy he'd join'd the poet in his praise, -- Praise in the dawning of a coming peace, A song, not chirping low 'mid doubtful dusk, But lark's-like, trembling where to rest were heaven! POEM SEVENTH. WATCHING. LIFE is one, whate'er the portion; ease to play, or toil to plan, Joy or sorrow, haste or caution, all must blend to make the man: Youth to fail or age to prosper; both to sink beneath a blow; God is greater than disaster: life is one, not all' below. It is one tho' lives be many; good or bad may rise or fall ; Honor droop, or treason flourish; Love that right- eth, righteth all. Trust no greatness with a greater: man is strong, but God is strength: And the b...« less