Interlude.

WITHIN the pauses of the anthem falls a hush,

And the deep organ's solemn voice goes on alone

In a low undertone,

As rain comes sometimes with a sudden sweeping rush,

And then is still, save that it slowly drips and falls

From leaves at intervals.

So memory sings alone

Between the busy hours when comes a lull,

And naught is audible

But its low undertone.

So darkness drops between the days, an interlude

When night's low sighing stirs the sleepy solitude.

So, when the little cycle of this life is rounded,

Before the spirit enters into life unbounded,

It waits to hear, with bated breath,

The solemn interlude of death.