The Shaker Girl

I met a pleasant, thoughtful girl, Fresh from a homely band Of Shaker brethren who fare well In this far Western land. I talked to her of earthly love, She answered with a sigh; I sought to know the hidden truth, And asked the reason why She would prefer a Shaker's life, Pleasant though it might be, To working in the free, grand world, Consistently and free, With household duties wooing her, And babies on her knee? She blushed a trifle, and looked shy, Confessed the truth was plain, That if "some one" should ever come And seek her love again, She would, with all her loving heart, Accept his profferred hand, And leave her Shaker friends with him, For any clime or land; But that she doubted that the love He once professed was o'er, And that she feared that it for her Was quenched for evermore; And so she guessed she'd best return To her calm Shaker home, And curb the feelings of her heart, And never seek to roam. O Shaker maiden, pause, I pray, Take further earnest thought, Nor stay the longings of your heart, With heaven-born nature fraught Duties there are on every side, Awaiting willing hands, All unrestricted, unconfined By any creeds or lands. Sweet ties of home are holier far, Spontaneous acts more true, Than any Shaker work ordained For man to struggle through.

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ICE PALACE.

O palace of marvellous beauty and light, Like a shrine of enchantment thou art to the sight, As sparkling with pride 'neath the sun's fond caress, Thou blushest with love's conscious joyful excess.

Ten thousand bright jewels, from Neptune's realm won, Compose thy weird structure, where daily the sun And nightly the Moon in turn sparklingly play Through each lunar ripple and bright solar ray.

Like some ancient temple upreared to the sun, As chaste as a bride--and as pure as a nun, Result of stern winter's imperious commands, Fitting tribute to it in these northern lands.

Thy empire, O ice king, is stern and severe, But it has rare pleasures which all hold most dear. We, our winter pastimes to greet thee convoke, And the goddess of health with thee daily invoke.

In gleeful assemblage we now celebrate Thy reign, through tobogganing, snow-shoes, and skate, In sliding along to the sleigh-bells' blithe sound, O'er rivers, and meadows, and snow-mantled ground.

Then hurrah for the Palace, the ice king, the snow; Around them let mirth and hilarity flow, Hurrah for our Governor, country, and main, And God bless our loved Queen, and long may she reign.

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