"They tell me in a sunny land
Our Willie is at play;
And with him is a happy band
Of children, good and gay.
"They say their shining robes of white
Are free from spot or stain;
That there, where it is never night,
They feel no grief or pain.
"But Willie shunned the stranger's face,
When he was with us here;
And in that new, though lovely place,
He will be sad, I fear.
"He'll miss me,--though the fields are fair,
His bright eyes will grow dim;
He has no little sister there;
O let me go to him!"
"Our Willie is not sad, my child;
For in that heavenly home
There dwells the blessed Saviour mild,
Who bids the children come.
"He loves them with a purer love,
A holier, than ours;
And leads them in the fields above,
Where spring undying flowers.
"If no ungentle words you speak,
No wicked actions do,
And if, with every day, you seek
To be more kind and true,
"Then, by our darling Willie's side,
And joined in heart and hand,
Forevermore shall you abide,
Among the angel band."