Poem by Bessie Rayner Parkes

Peace

THE steadfast coursing of the stars,
The waves that ripple to the shore,
The vigorous trees which year by year
Spread upwards more and more;

The jewel forming in the mine,
The snow that falls so soft and light,
The rising and the setting sun,
The growing glooms of night;

All natural things both live and move
In natural peace that is their own;
Only in our disordered life
Almost is she unknown.

She is not rest, nor sleep, nor death;
Order and motion ever stand
To carry out her firm behests
As guards at her right hand.

And something of her living force
Fashions the lips when Christians say
To Him Whose strength sustains the world,
"Give us Thy Peace, we pray!"

1. On the Bridge at Poissy
2. Reminiscences
3. The Old Palace Garden
4. On a Group of Justice and Charity
5. The Little Bird

David Lawrence Peace ("PEACE is written on the doorstep")

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