HOPE'S SONG

I hear it singing, singing sweetly,
Softly in an undertone, -
Singing as if God had taught it,
"It is better farther on!"

Night and day it sings the same song,
Sings it while I sit down,
Sings so that the heart may hear it,
"It is better farther on!"

Sits upon the grave and sings it,
Sings it when the heart would groan,
Sings it when the shadows darken,
"It is better farther on!"

Farther on? Oh, how much farther?
Count the milestone one by one -
No, not counting, only trusting,
"It is better farther on!'
[Anonymous]