“Hope
is the counterpoise of fear
While
night enthralls us here.
Fear
hath a startled eye that holds a tear:
Hope
hath an upward glance, for dawn draws near
With
sunshine and with cheer.
Fear
gazing earthwards spies a bier;
And
sets herself to rear
A
lamentable tomb where leaves drop sere,
Bleaching
to congruous skeletons austere:
Hope
chants a funeral hymn most sweet and clear,
And
seems true chanticleer
Of
resurrection and of all things dear
In
the oncoming endless year.
Fear
ballasts hope, hope buoys up fear,
And
both befit us here.”—English poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), “Hope is the counterpoise of fear / While night enthralls us here,” from The
Complete Poems, edited by R. W. Crump and Betty S. Flowers (2001 edition)
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