My Beth

Sitting patient in the shadow         Till the blessed light shall come,         A serene and saintly presence         Sanctifies our troubled home.         Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows         Break like ripples on the strand         Of the deep and solemn river         Where her willing feet now stand.         O my sister, passing from me,         Out of human care and strife,         Leave me, as a gift, those virtues         Which have beautified your life.         Dear, bequeath me that great patience         Which has power to sustain         A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit         In its prison-house of pain.         Give me, for I need it sorely,         Of that courage, wise and sweet,         Which has made the path of duty         Green beneath your willing feet.         Give me that unselfish nature,         That with charity devine         Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake--         Meek heart, forgive me mine!         Thus our parting daily loseth         Something of its bitter pain,         And while learning this hard lesson,         My great loss becomes my gain.         For the touch of grief will render         My wild nature more serene,         Give to life new aspirations,         A new trust in the unseen.         Henceforth, safe across the river,         I shall see forever more         A beloved, household spirit         Waiting for me on the shore.         Hope and faith, born of my sorrow,         Guardian angels shall become,         And the sister gone before me         By their hands shall lead me home.