Grand and noble, all-inspiring,
Soulful shaft on hallowed green;
Statue of a greater statesman,
America hath never seen.
Ne’er before her lap hath cradled
Truer monument to Love;
Hovering o’er thee shadowy likeness,
(Lent awhile from heaven above,)
All but rents the veil in twain,
Welcome guest on earth again.
And to thy dedication here,
Come from unseen heavenly sphere,
To bless us with angelic smile,
Those once loved and lost awhile.
The love-lit aura of his soul,
Keeps our bark in waters shoal;
And warns us ’gainst the sea of hate,
E’en tho’ we ride in Ship of State.
It now reflects in holy might
The beauty of the Kindly Light,
That led his spirt [sic] while on earth
On, and on to heavenly birth.
What wonder that a soul so true
Doth give to man a broader view;
And grander insight into heaven,
The home where holy love is given.
We strive to magnify its rays,
That holier still may be our days;
Like star to sun it doth compare,
With radiance that shineth there;
And as each day thro’ life we go,
Astral ether will bestow,
On us such emanations rare,
That thoughts of him must enter
there;
His life, (like star in Eastern sky,
Portentious [sic] message
from on High,)
Proclaims—“Love’s angels with him slept,
And in his soul her jewels kept!”
Long live this monument of Peace,
And may its meaning never cease,
To cause to flow, a tear of joy,
That Love once lived without alloy;
(It came to earth a spark divine,
And kindled into flame;
And evil’s ashes marked its line,
From infancy to fame.)
May still his thoughts from spheres above,
Attract us to the realms of Love,
And Love Divine and Kindly Light,
Aid us to reach immortal height!
