ONCE I WAS PURE. 0 ! the snow, the

beautiful snow, Filling the sky and

earth below; Over the housetops, over

the Street, Over the heads of the people

you meet; Dancing, Flirting, Skimmering

along, Beautiful snow ! it can do

nothing wrong, Flying to kiss a fair

lady's cheek; Clinging to lips in a

frolicksome freak ; Beautiful snow from

the heavens above, Pure as an angel, and

fickle as love! O ! the snow the

beautiful snow ! How the flakes gather

and laugh as they go! Whirling about in

its maddening fun, It plays hi its glee

with every one, Chasing, Laughing,

Hurrying by, It lights up the-face, and

it sparkles the eye ; And even the dogs,

with a bark and a bound, Snap at the

crystals that eddy around; The town is

alive, and its heart in glow, To welcome

the coming of the beautiful snow. How

the wild crowd goes swazing along,

Hailing each other with humour and song

1 How the gay sledges, like meteors

flash by, Bright for the moment, then

lost to to the eye: Ringing, Swinging,

Dashing they go Over the crust of the

beautiful snow : Snow so pure when it

falls from the sky, To be trampled in

mud by the crowd rushing by; To be

trampled and tracked by the thousand of

feet, Till it blends with the horrible

filth of the street. Once I was pure as

the snow-but I fell Fell, like the snow

flakes from Heaven to HellFell, to be

trampled as filth in the streetFell, to

be scoffed, to be spit on and beat J

Pleading, Cursing, Dreading to die,

Selling my soul to whoever would buy,

Dealing in shame for a morsel of bread,

Hating the living, and fearing the dead.

Merciful God ! have I fallen so low 1

And yet I was once like this beautiful

snow! Once I was fair as the beautiful

snow, With an eye like its crystals, a

heart like its glow Once I was loved for

my innocent grace Flattered and sought

for the charm of my face, Father,

Mother, Sister, and all, God, and myself

I have lost by my fall, The veriest

wretch that goes shivering by Will take

a wide sweep lest I wander to-nigh; For

of all that is on or about me, I know

There is nothing that's pure but the

beautiful snow. How strange it should be

that this beautiful snow Should fall on

a sinner with nowhere to go; How strange

it would be when the night comes again,

If the snow and the ice struck my

desperate brain Fainting, Freezing,

Dying alone! Too wicked for prayer, too

weak for my moan To be heard in the

crash of the crazy town, Gone mad in

their joy at the snow's coming down To

lie and to die in my terrible woe, With

a bed and a shroud of the beautiful

snow!