Lynchburg Virginian

The golden age of Childhood
Oh, there at happy moments then,
That come and go—yet come again,
And the young heart secure
From fear and strife and follies vain.
And free from guilt's corroding sway,
They keep the spirits pure.
The days of youthful friendships.
When heart to heart is lightly bound
In rosy wreaths, that twine them round.
More beautiful than strong,
And even in breaking scattered flowers,
The rapid growth of sunny hours,
That heal their wounds so long,
The spring of early love too—
When the true soul is linked for ever
In holier bands than never, never,
By earthly power are riven,
Ere yet sweet confidence forsakes
The heart that must be loved or break, —
Dreams, earthly dreams, of heaven!
There, these are happy moments—
And thus are those that bid rejoice
The awakened child’s, when Nature's voice
Calls us in kindred glow,
The mother's hope, the mother's pride,
Joy, tenderness and all beside,
That only mothers know
But there are things set dearer
Within our mortal grasp,—and each
Hath not a moment from our birth.
The cradle to the sod,
Like that, when freed from passion's sway
The mind rejects a feebler stay
And rests its hopes on God.