Words of Cheer for the Tempted, the Toiling, and the Sorrowing

Annie

THE grave is Heaven’s gate, they say;
And when dear Annie passed away,
      One calm June morning,
I saw upon the heavenly stairs,
A band of angels, unawares,
      Her path adorning.

The grave is Heaven’s gate, they say;
And when dear Annie passed away,
      A music flowing
Filled my sad soul with love and light,
That made me seem, by day and night,
      To Heaven going.

The grave is Heaven’s gate, they say;
And when dear Annie passed away,
      A saintly whiteness
O’erspread the beauty of her face,
And filled it with the tender grace
      Of angel brightness.

The grave is Heaven’s gate, they say;
And when dear Annie passed away,
      An angel splendid
Cast his large glories to the ground,
While waves of throbbing music-sound
      In sweetness blended.

The grave is Heaven’s gate, they say;
And when dear Annie passed away,
      In holy sweetness—
When life’s sad dream with her was o’er,
Her white soul stood at Heaven’s door,
      In its completeness.