Poems (Stephens)/Hope

by Eliza Jane Stephens

For works with similar titles, see Hope.

HOPE.

And what of hope; ah sure my friend,
 Thou wert a wreck today,
If all the good that hope has brought
 To thee were swept away.

If all the strength it can impart
 To meet the ids of life,
Should fail thee, 'twere an evil hour
 And thou must quit the strife.

For even to sweet childhood's dream
 It gives the dearest joy,
It paints the future rosy hued,
 Unmixed with care's alloy.

And 'tis the steady, firm support
 Of our maturer years,
I« lifts the drooping spirit up,
 And banishes our fears.

It is the priceless boon of ago—
 Dispelling all of gloom—
Still whispering the promises
 Of life beyond the tomb.