The Beacon-Light
DIMLY burns the beacon-light
On the mountain top to-night;
Faint as whisper ever fell,
Falls the watcher’s cry,—“All’s well;”
For the clouds have met on high,
And the blast sweeps angry by;
Not a star is seen this night,—
God, preserve the beacon-light!
Lo! a man whom age doth bow
Wanders up the pathway now;
Wistfully his eye he turns
To the light that dimly burns;
And, as it less glow doth shed,
Quicker, quicker is his tread;
And he prays that through the night
God may keep the beacon-light.
Far below him, rocks and waves
Mark the place of others’ graves;
Other travellers, who, like him,
Saw the beacon-light burn dim.
But they trusted in their strength
To attain the goal at length;—
This old traveller prays, to-night,
“God, preserve the beacon-light!”
Fainter, fainter is its ray,—
Shall its last gleam pass away?
Shall it be extinguished quite?
Shall it burn, though not as bright?
Fervently goes up his prayer;
Patiently he waiteth there,
Trusting Him who doeth right
To preserve the beacon-light.
Look you now! the light hath burst
Brighter than it was at first;
Now with ten-fold radiance glows,
And the traveller homeward goes.
As the clouds grow darker o’er him,
Brighter grows the light before him;
God, who doeth all things right,
Hath preserved the beacon-light.
Thus upon the path we tread
God a guiding light hath shed;
Though at times our hearts are weary,
Though the path we tread is dreary,
Though the beacon’s lingering ray
Seems as if ’t would pass away,—
Be our prayer, through all the night,
“God, preserve the beacon-light!”
Threatening clouds may gather o’er us,
Countless dangers rise before us:
If in God we seek for strength,
He will succor us at length:
He his holy light will send,
To conduct us to the end.
Trust thy God, through day and night,
He’ll preserve thy beacon-light.