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THE VANISHED HAND

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 18, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 16.

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THE VANISHED HAND.

We sigh for the touch of a vanished hand, The hand of a friend most dear, Who has passed from our side to the shadowy land, But what of the hand that is near? To the living's touch is the soul inert That weeps o'er the silent urn? For the love that lives is our hand alert To make some sweet return? Do we answer back in a fretful tone When life's duties press us sore? Is our praise as full as if they were gone, And could hear our praise no more? As the days go by are our hands more swift For a trifle beyond their share Than to grasp, for a kindly, helpful lift, The burden some one must bear? We sigh for the touch of a vanished hand, And we think ourselves sincere, But what of the friends that about us stand, And the touch of the hand that is here? —Selected.