Warm, as with sun of the tropic,
Keen, as with salt of the sea,

Sweet, as with breath of blown roses,
Cometh thy thought to me.

WHEN YOU ARE OLD

BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

When you are old and gray and full of sleep

And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true; But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

From THE DEATH SONG

IN THE MASQUE OF TALIESIN

BY RICHARD HOVEY

Man from his blindness attaining the succor of sight, God from his glory descends to the shape we can see;

Life, like a moon, is a radiant pearl in the night Thrilled with his beauty to beacon o'er forest and

sea;

Life, like a sacrifice laid on the altar, delight

Kindles as flame from the air to be fire at its core! Joy, joy, joy in the deep and the height! Joy in the holiest, joy evermore, evermore!

THE OPTIMIST

BY GRAHAM R. TOMSON

Heed not the folk who sing or say In sonnet sad or sermon chill, "Alas! alack! and well-a-day!

This round world's but a bitter pill!" Poor porcupines of fretful quill! Sometimes we quarrel with our lot:

We, too, are sad and careful-still,

We'd rather be alive than not.

What though we wish the cats at play

Would some one else's garden till;

Though Sophonisba drop the tray

And all our worshipped Worcester spill, Though neighbours "practice" loud and shrill, Though May be cold and June be hot,

Though April freeze and August grill,

We'd rather be alive than not.

And, sometimes, on a summer's day

To self and every mortal ill

-

We give the slip, we steal away,
To lie beside some sedgy rill;

The darkening years, the cares that kill, A little while are well forgot;

Deep in the broom upon the hill We'd rather be alive than not.

Pistol, with oaths didst thou fulfil

The task thy braggart tongue begot.
We eat our leek with better will,
We'd rather be alive than not.

A LITTLE SONG OF LIFE

BY LIZETTE WOODWORTH REESE

Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,

And the fall of dew.

After the sun the rain

After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.

All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow
Nearer the sky.

From PSALM CIII

BY DAVID

Bless the LORD, O my soul:

And all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;

Who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;

Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's..
He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,

So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children,

So the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

For he knoweth our frame;

He remembereth that we are dust.

As for man, his days are as grass:

As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;

And the place thereof shall know it no more.

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting

Upon them that fear him,

And his righteousness unto children's children. . . . Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his do

minion:

Bless the LORD, O my soul.