46 Tribune Extras PampUct Series. 



Prof. Asrassiz's Lectures at Penikese. 



THE PKAYJER OF AGASSIZ. 



BY JOHN G. WHITTIER. 



From Th Chrittian Union. 



On the Isle of Penikese, 

 Kinged about by sapphire seas, 

 Fanned by breezes salt and cool, 

 Stood the Master with his school. 

 Over sails that not in vain 

 Wooed the west wind's steady strain, 

 Line of coast that low and far 

 Stretched its undulating bar, 

 Wings aslant aloug the rim 

 Of tho waves they stooped to skim, 

 Rock and isle and glistening bay, 

 Fell the beautiful white day. 



Said the Master to the youth : 

 1 We have come in search of truth. 

 Trying with uncertain key 

 Door by door of mystery ; 

 We are reaching, through His laws. 

 To tho garment-hem of Cause, 

 Him, the endless, unbegun, 

 The Unnaineable, the One, 

 Light of all our light the Source, 

 Life of life, and Force of force, 

 As -with, fingers of tho blind 

 We are groping here to find 

 What the hieroglyphics moan 

 Of the Unaaen in the seen. 

 What the Thought Avhich underlies 

 Nature's masking and disguise, 

 What it is that hides beueath 

 Blight and bloom and birth and death, 

 By past efforts unavailing, 

 Doubt and error, loss and failing, 

 Of our weakness made awaro, 

 On the threshold of our task 

 Let us litrht and guidance ask, 

 Let us pause in sileut prayer 1" 



Then the Master in his place 

 Bowed his head a little space, 

 And tho leaves by soft airs stirred, 

 Lapse of wave and cry of bird 

 Left tho solemn hush unbroken 

 Of that wordless prayer unspokci^ 

 While its wish, on earth unsaid. 

 Rose to heaven interpreted. 

 As, in life's best hours, we he 

 By tho spirit's finer ear 

 LI n low voice within ua, 



The All-Father heareth us; 

 And his holy ear we pain 

 With our noisy words and vain. 

 Not for him our violence 

 Storming at the gates of sense, 

 His the primal language, His 

 The eternal silenct s ! 



Even the careless heart was moved, 

 And the doubting gave assent, 

 With a gesture reverent, 

 To the Master well-beloved. 

 As thin mists are glorified 

 By the light they cannot hide, 

 All who gazed upon him saw, 

 Through its veil of tender awo. 

 How his face was still nplit 

 By the old sweet look of it, 

 Hopeful, trustful, full of cheer, 

 And the love that casts out fear. 

 Who the secret may declare 

 Of that brief, unuttered prayer T 

 Did the shade before him come 

 Of th' inevitable doom, 

 Of the end of earth so near, 

 And Eternity's new year? 



In the lap of sheltering seas 

 Rests the isle of Penikese ; 

 But tho lord of the domain 

 Comes not to his own again ; 

 Where the eyes that follow fail, 

 On a vaster sea his sail, 

 Drifts beyond our berk and haill 

 Other lips within its bound 

 Shall tho laws of life oxp >und : 

 Other eyes from rock and shell 

 Read the world's old riddles well; 

 But when breezes light and bland 

 Blow from Summer's blossomed land, 

 When the air is glad with wings 

 And the blithe Ronu-spiiiTow singa. 

 Many an eye vrith his still face 

 Shall the living ones disi'iaee, 

 Many nu ear tho word shall seek 

 He alone could fitly speak. 

 And one name forevennore 

 Shall bo uttered o'er and o'er 

 By the waves that kiss the shor% 

 By the curlew's whistle sent 

 Down the cool, sea-so-nted air| 

 In all voices known lo her 

 Nature own her worshiper, 

 Half in triumph, half lament. 

 Thither love shall tearful turn, 

 Friendship panse uncovered thef% 

 Lnd the wiwst re\ erence learn 

 tba t&BttU-r eieut prayer. 



