The Fair Child

By Lydia Howard Sigourney

O beauty! from a mother's arms
By sudden suffering torn,
And on an earthy pillow laid
Until the rising morn,

O Innocence! removed before
The selfish world broke in,
To stain thy tablet, or imprint
The imagery of sin,

O ties of Love! in anguish rent,
How hard it were to bear
Such agony of smitten hope
And unrequited care,

Save for the promise of our Lord
The sleeper to restore,
And twine again those severed hearts
Where they can part no more;

Save for the teaching of His love,
That sorrow's tear shall aid,
The joyous reaping in the skies,
Where blossoms never fade.