Heralds of Easter

The night is past

the hea­vy night of sor­row

The creep­ing hours un­so­laced and alone;

Lift up your hearts to greet the hap­py mor­row

Fair cra­dle of a fu­ture yet un­known;

A whis­per shakes the cur­tained grey

To hail the ris­ing King

And on the crys­tal air of day

The bells be­gin to ring.

The bells be­gin to ring

The bells be­gin to ring

to ring

to ring

And on the crys­tal air of day

The bells be­gin to ring

Ring on

glad bells

ring on.

Again the words of glad re­lease are spok­en

To ev­ery soul with lead­en grief op­pressed

The year brings back the old im­mor­tal to­ken

And hope re­turns to ease the bur­dened breast;

A look—a word

we know not how

Our long re­sent­ment goes;

It melts be­fore a sweet­er vow

To van­ish like the snows.

As light re­turns

in sud­den pal­lor steal­ing

The ci­ty starts

her puls­es thrill again—

For her the breath of vi­tal strength and heal­ing

Whose streets and al­leys teem with my­ri­ad men!

In ma­ny a hearth her grate­ful fires

A sac­red in­cense raise

For still the tame­less heart as­pires

And burns in pray­ers and praise.