HACTENUS:

SUNDRY OF MY LYRICS HITHERTO.

HACTENUS.

THE NEW YEAR.

THE old man he is dead, young heir!

And gone to his long account;

Come! stand on his hearth, and sit in nis chair,
And into his saddle mount!

The old man's face was a face to be fear'd,

But thine both loving and gay;

O, who would not choose for that stern white bear A bright young cheek alway?

The old man he had outlived them all,
His friends, he said, were gone;

But hundreds are wassailing now in the hal
And true friends every one!

The old man moaned both sore and long

Of pleasures past, he said;

But pleasures to come are the young heir's song, The living, not the dead!

The old man babbled of old regrets.

Alack! how much he owed;

But the young heir has not a feather of debts

His heart withal to load!

The old man used to shudder, and seem

Remembering secret sin;

But the happy young heir is as if in a dream, — Paradise a.. within!

Aias! for the old man, where is he now?

And fear for thyself, young heir; For he was innocent once as thou,

As ruddy, and blithe, and fair:

Reap wisdom from his furrowed face,
Cull counsel from his fear;

O, speed thee, young heir, in gifts and in grace,
And blessings on thee, - New Year!

ALL'S FOR THE BEST.

(To the same music as "Never Give Up.")

ALL'S for the best! be sanguine and cheerful,
Trouble and sorrow are friends in disguise,
Nothing but Folly goes faithless and fearful,
Courage for ever is happy and wise:
All for the best,-if a man would but know it,
Providence wishes us all to be blest,

This is no dream of the pundit or poet,
Heaven is gracious, and— All's for the best!

All for the best. set this on your standard,
Soldier of sadness, or pilgrim of love,

Who to the shores of Despair may have wander`d,
A way-wearied swallow, or heart-stricken dove:
All for the best!-be a man but confiding,
Providence tenderly governs the rest,

And the frail bark of his creature is guiding
Wisely and warily, all for the best.

All for the best! then fling away terrors,

Meet all your fears and your foes in the van, And in the midst of your dangers or errors

Trust like a child, while you strive like a man All's for the best! unbiass'd, unbounded,

Providence reigns from the East to the West. And, by both wisdom and mercy surrounded, Hope and be happy that All's for the best'

THE RIDDLE READ.

WORLD of sorrow, care, and change,
Even to myself I seem,
As adown thy vale I range,
Wandering in a dream:

All things are so strange.

For, the dead who died this day,
Fair and young, or great and good,
Though we mourn them, where are they?
- With those before the flood;

Equally past away.

Living hearts have scantly time

To feel some other heart most dear, Scarce can love the love sublime

Unselfishly sincere, —

Death nips it in its prime!

Minds have hardly power to learn

How much there is to know aright

Can dimly thro' the mist discern

Some little glimpse of light,

The order is, Return!