Treasures of sound! Kind words, and words of love,
And helpful words, and merry songs of earth,
Yes, all your tender vocal ministries
Living forever on the upper air,
Borne to you on the winds of heaven's May,
And whispered to you deep in heaven's woods,
And gratefully repeated here and there
By unforgetting spirits—ah, the store
Of golden sounds from earth sent heavenward,
Echoed in happy tones for evermore!
Treasures of thought! Decisions firmly true,
Still meditations blossoming serene,
The gleam of high ideals followed far,
Bold aspirations, plans of perfectness
Outreaching brother arms to all the world,—
These, written in the libraries of heaven,
And printed deeply on celestial minds,
Are authorship indeed! a catalogue
That Shakespeare well might covet for his own.
Treasures of courage! Wealth of love and faith,
Of trust when trust becomes an agony,
Of hope when hope's last ray has fallen dead,
Of courage in the chasm of despair!
These are the pillars of the heavenly homes,
These are their statues, these their paintings proud,
The rich adornings of their palaces!
These are the treasures heaven cannot buy,
Or God create, The millionaires in these—
Some gentle mother spending all for love,
Some patient workman tolling maufully,
Some large-lived hero living for mankind—
Will walk in affluence eternally,
And none will grudge them, but the countless host
Will glory and rejoice to see them rich.
