Oh, oft when I come to the city,
I long for the peace of the woods;
For the sighing of winds in the pine trees
And the laughter of running brooks;
The chatter of squirrel and chipmunk,
The call of the shy wood dove.--
Oh, the forest's the place to listen
To that grandest of anthems--Love.
Ere the darksome shades of the forest
Have vanished, at early dawn,
A million happy creatures
Are chanting their morning psalm;
They sing of the joy of living,
In happiness, peace, and love,
And gratefully raise their voices
To the great All-Giver above.
And I, in a gladsome spirit,
Join in with the happy throng;
Sustained, and strengthened, and soothed,
By Nature's mighty song.--
And oft when I come to the city,
I long for that song of love,
That the forest's happy creatures
Raise to the Father above.