All these he loved, as men alone can love The things that win their love: to _him_ they shone Instinct with living beauty all their own, Touched with a light divine as from above.
_For_ them, and _with_ them, toiled he day by day In true companionship: they were his Friends, Bound by the tie whose influence never ends, By faithful bonds which never pass away.
And as the sunflower looks towards the light All through the livelong day, so did his heart Ne'er from this bond of love play recreant part, But every moment beat that heart aright;
A heart so large and true--true to the core; So spacious that the great might enter in; Yet none too poor its sympathy to win, And every throb a pleasure at their door.
And so, through all the toilful hours of thought, He reared a world-wide pinnacle of fame, Whose summit reached, his heart was still the same, Undazed by splendours which his hand had wrought.
Long stood he on the topmost peak of praise From tongues of men, as mountains tipped with snow Stand with their lofty foreheads all a-glow, Lit up with beauty by the sun's bright rays.
His life was climaxed by a kinglier dower Than even kings themselves can hope to reach; No grander, prouder lesson can we teach, Than win great things by self-inherent power.
Brighter examples manhood cannot show, Than with true hand, brave heart, and sleepless mind, To build up name and fortune 'midst their kind, From grains and drops--as worlds and oceans grow.
So, in the rare meridian of his time, In pride of conscious strength, he stood alone, A king of kings upon his Iron Throne, Wrought out from humble step to height sublime,
As shadows lengthen in the setting sun, So spread the stature of his later life, Which, like Colossus, o'er earth's busy strife, Towered grandly till that life's last sand was run.
And so he passed away, as meteors die; Leaving a trail of splendour here on earth To mark the road he took in virtuous worth, In sterling truth, and rare integrity.
These are the living landmarks he has left: Bright jewels in his earthly sojourn set, Whose brilliance seen, those looking ne'er forgot: A glorious heritage for friends bereft.
Such gems as those who mourn may still adore, Whose glistening rays men's footsteps lead aright Through life's dark way, like glow-worms in the night, Or angel-glintings from the eternal shore.