A Christmas Message

Far from home thy Christ­mas keep­ing

Sad through wea­ri­ness and pain

Thou

per­chance

hast thought with weep­ing

Christmas-time has come again!

Dreams of well re­mem­bered plac­es

Fill thy me­mo­ry to­day;

Longing thoughts of lov­ing fac­es—

Thoughts of dear ones far away.

Of the lit­tle ones who ga­ther

Round the fire the boughs to weave

Happy homes where mo­ther

fa­ther

Keep with them their Christ­mas Eve.

Of the days when thou wast sing­ing

Gleeful songs of oth­er times

While across the fields came ring­ing

Far and near the Christ­mas chimes.

Say’st thou now

Those joys are ov­er;

Not for me those home de­lights;

Dark the clouds that o’er me ho­ver

Lone the days and long the nights?

Chiming bells and hap­py voic­es

Fall but sad­ly on my ear;

All the world with­out re­joic­es;

They are glad—while I am here.

Are these sad words thine

oh

mourn­er?

And these drea­ry thoughts

my friend?

Listen

then

now to a mes­sage

Which home to thy heart we send.

In the words the wind came bring­ing

From the hush of qui­et room

Where were voic­es softly sing­ing

In the twi­light’s ga­ther­ing gloom.

Sweet and clear we hear the mu­sic

Of a mes­sage ten­der

true

That we now in Christ­mas sea­son

We would sing it forth to you.