IF I had known that the Pæan Which rang from the leafy skies, Was writ by the nameless Leader Of choirs in Paradise; My hand would not have been cruel, My heart would have shamed the wrong That filled a nest with despairing And hushed an enraptured song.
If I had known that the pebble I crushed in the dust unseen, Would one day blaze on the forehead Of none but a peerless Queen;— My foot had trodden it lighter, Its worth I had lived to show; Alas! the pearls that are priceless No one but a Queen may know;
If I had known that the tear-drops You hushed with a bitter moan, Bore up on their shining pathway Your heart to the Great White Throne, My love had solaced your anguish, My reverence bent the knee; But, ah! the godliest sorrow Only a God can see.
