The Poetry Corner

When Thou Art Near.

By Freeman Edwin Miller

When thou art near, with gladdest grace My heart is held in fond embrace, For laughing lips with raptures bless The toils and tears of my distress, And woes within me have no place. The halting hours with hurried pace Whirl wildly on through happy space, And life is light with happiness, When thou art near. Like mortals whom an angel race Renews with gladness face to face, I thrill with Love's unseen caress That holy hands upon me press, And Heaven's pleasures all I trace, When thou art near.