Gazing off into the cloud-land
Tinted with the sunset's glow,
Watching waves of gold and purple
O'er the silent ether glow;
Gazing on the clouds that grandly
Climb the arches of the sky,
And upon those fleecy idlers
In their beauty gliding by;
Much I wonder who are dwelling
On those far, etherial shores,
And whose feet, unseen, are treading
O'er those amethystine floors.
Much I wonder if the spirits
Of the loved ones, upward flown
From those bright, mysterious regions,
On us are still looking down.
Tell me, are those snowy cloudlets
Only shadows on the sky?
May they not be angel pinions
Seen by us while passing by?
Coming in the twilight shadows
Nearer to us than by day,
With a silent benediction
On us as they pass away?
Gazing off into the cloud-land
Tinted with the sunset hue,
Seem they not like gauzy curtains,
Letting half the glory through,
Till we almost see beyond them
Through the vistas, long and grand,
And the heavy folds of darkness
Drop from evening's silent hand?
