Songs by the Way, by George Washington Doane (1860)

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"Songs by the Way"
The Poetical Writings of the Right Rev. George Washington Doane, D.D., LL.D.

Arranged and Edited by His Son, William Croswell Doane

New York: D. Appleton, 1860.

STAND LIKE AN ANVIL
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ST. IGNATIUS TO ST. POLYCARP, BOTH MARTYRS.

"STAND, like an anvil," when the stroke,
     Of stalwart men, falls fierce and fast;
Storms, but more deeply, root the oak,
     Whose brawny arms embrace the blast.

"Stand like an anvil," when the sparks
     Fly far and wide, a fiery shower;
Virtue and truth must still be marks,
     Where malice proves its want of power.

"Stand like an anvil," when the bar,
     Lies, red and glowing, on its breast;
Duty shall be life's leading star,
    And conscious innocence, its rest.

"Stand like an anvil," when the sound
     Of pond'rous hammers pains the ear;
Thine, but the still and stern rebound
     Of the great heart, that cannot fear.

"Stand like an anvil;" noise and heat
     Are born of earth, and die with time;
The soul, like God, its source and seat,
     Is solemn, still, serene, sublime.

RIVERSIDE, ST. BARNABAS DAY, 1849.

Project Canterbury