ALONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 79

ALONE.

X wandered away to the mountain side, At the bent of my own sweet will ; 'ftjid I gazed for a while at the world beneath— So peaceful, calm, aTid still. the silvery moonlight The stars were shining; In the sweet repose of night Nature was reclining. I strained my ears to catch Some sound on the still night air, 3Tor I felt that the awful silence Was more than I could bear. 3 stood a reproved sinner, Fearing my heart would break; J felt like some troubled dreamer Who longs, yet fears, to awake. I thought of the holy man of ofd Who, from Pisgah's ancient peak, Had gazed upon the Promised Land And heard the Master speak. I, too, had left a little band, I had left the city's dm ; But I e<mld see no Premised LandOnly a. world of 3in. tWben softly a gentle peace Over my senses stole, 'jLnd far away en that mountain side A great calm came o'er my soul. Still, through the silvery moonlight The stays were shining, And still in the sweet repose of night .Nature waa reclining. > • • . ■ ■ I am standing alone in the city, And I watch the surging throng That, buffeted, pushed, and jostled, Keep ever hurrying on ; I list for a while to the voices That rise on the still night air, Borne of them, charged with a message so sweet, Others so laden with care. And I gaze for a while on the faces That move in this city's din — Some of them looking so jolly and fat, Others so pinched and thru. I afan the eager thousands For some familiar face — Some kindly voice to greet me, In this much-frequented place. I look on the crowded street, As far as the eye can see, In all this vast and mighty throng Is there nobody cares for me? And I think as I turn from the scene, In the shade of the pale gaslight, I would sooner be, alone on the mountain side Than alone in tfie town to-night. — Arch M. M'Nicol. Merton, June, 1901. •