The Vaudois Teacher

"O Lady fair, these silks of mine

    are beautiful and rare,—

The richest web of the Indian loom, which beauty's

    queen might wear;

And my pearls are pure as thy own fair neck, with whose

    radiant light they vie;

I have brought them with me a weary way,—will my

    gentle lady buy?"

The lady smiled on the worn old man through the

    dark and clustering curls

Which veiled her brow, as she bent to view his

    silks and glittering pearls;

And she placed their price in the old man's hand

    and lightly turned away,

But she paused at the wanderer's earnest call,—

    "My gentle lady, stay!

"O lady fair, I have yet a gem which a purer

    lustre flings,

Than the diamond flash of the jewelled crown on

    the lofty brow of kings;

A wonderful pearl of exceeding price, whose virtue

    shall not decay,

Whose light shall be as a spell to thee and a

    blessing on thy way!"

The lady glanced at the mirroring steel where her

    form of grace was seen,

Where her eye shone clear, and her dark locks

    waved their clasping pearls between;

"Bring forth thy pearl of exceeding worth, thou

    traveller gray and old,

And name the price of thy precious gem, and my

    page shall count thy gold."

The cloud went off from the pilgrim's brow, as a

    small and meagre book,

Unchased with gold or gem of cost, from his

    folding robe he took!

"Here, lady fair, is the pearl of price, may it prove

    as such to thee

Nay, keep thy gold—I ask it not, for the word of

    God is free!"

The hoary traveller went his way, but the gift he

    left behind

Hath had its pure and perfect work on that high-

    born maiden's mind,

And she hath turned from the pride of sin to the

    lowliness of truth,

And given her human heart to God in its beautiful

    hour of youth

And she hath left the gray old halls, where an evil

    faith had power,

The courtly knights of her father's train, and the

    maidens of her bower;

And she hath gone to the Vaudois vales by lordly

    feet untrod,

Where the poor and needy of earth are rich in the

    perfect love of God!