The Brother and the Sister

IN a winding dell, thick-sown with flowers,
Often played together through the hours
Of the live-long sunny Summer's day,
Two most lovely children, one a boy,
One a girl, a sister and a brother;
And along with them did ever play
Innocence, and Gracefulness, and Joy.

Here there stood an image of the Mother
Of our Blessed Saviour, with her Child
In her arms, who always looked and smiled

On the playmates: And their own dear mother
One day told them, after they had played,

Who the smiling little Infant was;
How He was the mighty GOD, who made

Sun, and Moon, and Earth, and the green grass,
And themselves; and, when she saw them moved

With deep reverence, and their childish mirth
Hushed, she told them how this GOD had loved

Little children when He dwelled on Earth,
And that now in Heaven he loved them still.

And the little girl said, "I and brother

Both love GOD: will he love us, too, mother?"
And the mother said, " If you be good, He will."

So, upon another time, a bland,
Bright, soft, Summer-evening, as the fair

Children sat together hand-in-hand,

One said to the other, ('twas the boy
To the girl,) " Oh, if the dear GOD there

Would come down to us! There's not a toy

In our house but I would give to him."
And the girl said, " I would cull him all
Pretty flowers." " And I would climb the tall

Trees," the boy said, " till the day grew dim,

And would gather fruits for him." And thus

Each sweet child did prattle to the other,
Till the sun sank low behind the hill,

And both, running, then sought out their mother,
And cried out together, "Mother! — will

GOD come down some day and play with us?"

Gently spake the mother in rebuke

Of their babble; but il bore a deep
Meaning in the eternal Minutebook;

For, one night, soon after, in her sleep,
She beheld the Infant-Saviour playing
With her children, and she heard Him saying,
"How shall I requite you for the flowers

And the fruits you would have given me? Thee,

Brother, will I take along with me,

To my Father's many-mansioned Home,
And will guide thee to luxuriant bowers,

Where bloom fruits unknown on Earth beneath;
And to thee, my sister, will I come

On thy bridal-day, and with a wreath
Of celestial flowers adorn thy brow,
And will bless thy nuptials, so that thou
Shalt have children good and innocent even
As my Father's angels are in Heaven."

And the mother woke, and prayed with tears,
"Oh, my GOD! my Saviour! spare my son!

Spare him to console my waning years,
If thou canst! If not, Thy will be done!"

And the will of GOD was done. The boy
Sickened soon and died. But, ere he died

Those about him saw his countenance
Lighted up with gloriousness and joy
Inexpressible; for, by his side

He beheld (rapt all the while in trance,
As his mother noticed,) a young Child
Brighter than the sun and beauteous as
GOD Himself!

Year after year did pass,
And at length her twentieth Summer smiled
On the maiden with her wedding-day;
But, behold! — as she knelt down to pray
At the altar, heavenly radiance beamed
Kound her, and she saw, as though she dreamed,
HIM, her childhood's Infant-Saviour, reaching

Her a wreath of brilliant flowers, with some
Dark ones intermixed: a symbol, teaching

Her what hue the years that were to come
Should assume for her. And truly, she

Spent a life of peace and blessedness,
Mingled with such mild adversity

That she rather wished it more than less.