“REMEMBER NOT THE SINS OF MY YOUTH.”
Could I recall the years that now are flown
Forevermore;
Revive my early visions—long o'erthrown—
And hope restore,
How blest it were to mould my life anew,
And all my broken vows of youth renew! Oh! were I once again but free to choose
As in past days,
How oft the sinful path I would refuse
For sterner ways!
Content to turn aside from every road
Save that which kept me in the smile of God. But vain the dream; the strife is o'er with me;
Dark days remain;
I could not trust my heart if I were free
To choose again;
The dazzling morning might again deceive,
Life be misspent, and age be left to grieve. I would not, if I could, recall the years
That now are fled;
Their cares and pleasures, labors, hopes, and fears
For me are dead;
I ask but mercy for the weary past,
And grace to guide me gently home at last.
—Good Words.