THE FLORAL OFFERING. 
“Sweet Marian, the flowers shall mourn the playmate of their love; 
The trees shall miss thy music, and the singers of the grove; 
Thy parents weep as parents weep, and from one heart this day, 
With its unlooked-for bitterness, shall never pass away. 
“In mute surprise and "wonderment, thy flock around thee stand; 
They miss the cheering of thy voice,—the guiding of thy hand— 
While thou art hid within the arms and shielded on the breast 
Of Him who leads his tender lambs in the green fields of rest. 
“Yet surely should the parent’s voice be welcome to the child, 
Whether it come at noon or night,—in gentle tones or wild; 
And I, oh Father! when Thy will shall call my soul away, 
May I as calmly hear thy word,—as placidly obey!” 
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