Page:Poems Angier.djvu/147

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TEARS.
They are given in love, by One from above,
Who shed them at Bethany's cave,
And their value we know when some sudden blow,
Has laid cherished hopes in the grave.

They sometimes are seen on the cheek of a queen,
And oft does the cottager's face
Bear record of grief whose certain relief
Is found, in this boon of our race.

The matron and bride, when standing beside
The altar and hearthstone, have wept;
One has found in her tears a solace for years;
One gratefully weeps o'er vows kept.

This maxim I hold, his heart must be cold,
And slow will his hand be to bless,
Who can witness unmoved the tears of the loved,
Nor weep o'er another's distress.