I know that Europe’s wonderful, yet something seems to lack; The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back. - Henry van Dyke

I heard through the night
The rush and the clamour;
The pulse of the fight
Like blows of Thor's hammer;
The pattering flight
Of the leaves, and the anguished
Moan of the forest vanquished.

If all the skies were sunshine,
Our faces would be fain
To feel once more upon them
The cooling splash of rain. If all the world were music,
Our hearts would often long
For one sweet strain of silence.
To break the endless song. If life were always merry,
Our souls would seek relief,
And rest from weary laughter
In the quiet arms of grief.

How often a man has cause to return thanks for the enthusiasms of his friends! They are the little fountains that run down from the hills to refresh the mental desert of the despondent.