Classic Poem

C ARLETON , " farewell! I clasp thy friendly hand
This side the sea no more:
Yet with a smile I spoke the farewell word,
And saw thee start for that far-distant shore;
For well I knew that 'twould be joy to thee,
To tread those shores beyond the heaving sea.

Farewell! thine early hope hath blossomed now:
Its fruit, to thee and thine,
Shall sweeter be than Eschol's clusters fair,
As ye shall roam beside the sparkling Rhine,
Or wander in old England's halls of pride,
Or climb, awe-struck, the Alpine mountain side.

Farewell to her who travels at thy side,
Thy second self, so dear:
With tender, loving thoughts of by-gone hours,
I bid ye go, and wander far from here.
Your work is one, your hearts in concord beat:
God guide you both, till we again shall meet.

Farewell! in hope, I bid you both to go.
What though you ne'er return
To this dear land for which you've labored so,
You shall be blessed by all that you shall learn,
And scatter seeds of truth as oft before,
And bless new friends upon that foreign shore.

We who remain will hail each earnest word
You send us from afar,
Which tells how God is working in those lands,
And 'mid those troubled nations where ye are,
And pray the while that you may both be spared
To hail the hour when Peace shall be declared.

Our work will all be finished by and by:
We'll cross a wider sea.
Then shall we meet, nor speak the parting word
Through all the ages of eternity:
Each fond misgiving Hope's glad beams dispel.
We can afford to part a while: farewell!