Wherever now the foot of Man shall bear him, Wherever by the final call o'ertaken, He is no stranger reckoned, or an outcast, But hears exclaim the Universal Mother, "Come, child of mine, and slumber in my bosom." SABINE BARING-GOULD. Sandalphon HAVE you read in the Talmud of old, In the Legends the Rabbins have told How, erect, at the outermost gates With his feet on the ladder of light, The Angels of Wind and of Fire, With the song's irresistible stress; But serene in the rapturous throng, With eyes unimpassioned and slow, To sounds that ascend from below; From the spirits on earth that adore, In the fervor and passion of prayer; And he gathers the prayers as he stands, It is but a legend, I know— Of the ancient Rabbinical lore; But haunts me and holds me the more. When I look from my window at night, All throbbing and panting with stars, And the legend, I feel, is a part HENRY WADSWORTH LONGfellow. Repent One Day Before Thy Death HOLD thou thy friend's honor dear as is thine own, Be not to hasty passion prone; And since life 's but a fleeting breath, RABBI ELEAzar. Value of Repentance THE 'HE Doctors in the Talmud say ROBERT HERRICK. |