Poems (Hoffman)/A Dream Picture (A lady who lived in a time gone by)

by Martha Lavinia Hoffman

A DREAM PICTURE

A lady who lived in a time gone by
Had for many years a cloudy trial
That cast its shadow athwart her sky
Making the hours seem long by the dial;

But once in her dreams she found herself
In the golden light of a sunny day,
When a thick cloud gathered above her path
And shut out the sunlight from her way;

Then suddenly it broke and she saw
That a thousand tiny songbirds there,
With brilliant plumage and spreading wings,
Had formed the cloud in the sunny air;

Then they burst into song above her head,
In such thrilling notes as they took their flight,
That the lady woke from her wondrous dream,
Weeping for gladness and delight.

Look up at the clouds, not down, to lament
The shadow that darkens all earthly things,
And soon you will find they are angels sent,
With beautiful songs and protecting wings.