,,riley ,,love-,,lyrics ,illustration3 7,,love-,,lyrics7 ,,riley ,,love-,,lyrics ,,james ,,whitcomb ,,riley ,,with ,,life ,,pictures ,,by ,,william ,b4 ,,dyer ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,grosset ,,dunlap ,,publishers ,copyright1 #ahhc1 #ahhg1 #ahhh1 #ahij1 #ahia1 #ahib1 #ahid1 #ahig1 #ahih1 #aija1 #aije by ,james ,whitcomb ,riley ,,inscribed ,to the ,elect of ,love1--or side-by-side ,in raptest ecstasy1 or sundered wide ,by seas that bear no message to or fro ,between the loved and lost of long ago4 ,so were ,i but a minstrel1 deft ,at weaving1 with the trembling strings ,of my glad harp1 the warp and weft ,of rondels such as rapture sings1-- ,i'd loop my lyre across my breast1 ,nor stay me till my knee found rest ,in midnight banks of bud and flower ,beneath my lady's lattice-bower4 ,and there1 drenched with the teary dews1 ,i'd woo her with such wondrous art ,as well might stanch the songs that ooze ,out of the mockbird's breaking heart2 ,so light1 so tender1 and so sweet ,should be the words ,i would repeat1 ,her casement1 on my gradual sight1 ,would blossom as a lily might4 ,,contents ,,page ,,blooms ,,of ,,may #ahe ,,discouraging ,,model1 ,a #acc ,,dream #df ,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor #afg ,,has ,,she ,,forgotten8 #aha ,,he ,,and ,i #hc ,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in #ej ,,her ,,beautiful ,,eyes #fj ,,her ,,hair #abh ,,her ,,face ,,and ,,brow #fc ,,her ,,waiting ,,face #ga ,,home ,,at ,,night #abb ,,how ,,it ,,happened #ie ,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer #ajg ,,illileo #aaa ,,judith #gi ,,last ,,night ,,and ,,this #aca ,,leonainie #fh ,,let ,,us ,,forget #fd ,,lost ,,path1 ,,the #hg ,,my ,,bride ,,that ,,is ,,to ,,be #ij ,,my ,,mary #aag ,,nothin' ,,to ,,say #ajc ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song1 ,a' #ca ,,old ,,sweetheart ,,of ,,mine1 ,,an #bc ,,old ,,year ,,and ,,the ,,new1 ,,the #gb ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho1 ,,an #cg ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart1 ,,the #dd ,,rival1 ,,the #adh ,,rose1 ,,the #agh ,,sermon ,,of ,,the ,,rose1 ,,the #ahi ,,song ,,of ,,long ,,ago1 ,a #afj ,,suspense #acf ,,their ,,sweet ,,sorrow #gf ,,to ,,hear ,,her ,,sing #adf ,,tom ,,van ,,arden #aci ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands1 ,,the #aeg ,,variation1 ,a #aea ,,very ,,youthful ,,affair1 ,a #cf ,,when ,,age ,,comes ,,on #afd ,,when ,,lide ,,married ,him #abe ,,when ,,my ,,dreams ,,come ,,true #ii ,,when ,,she ,,comes ,,home #fg ,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land #aed ,,wife-,,bless,d1 ,,the #aae ,,illustrations ,,page ,,love-,,lyrics ,,frontispiece ,,illustrations--,,tailpiece xx ,,an ,,old ,,sweetheart ,,of ,,mine #bc ,,and ,i ,,light ,,my ,,pipe ,,in ,,silence #bd ,,the ,,voices ,,of ,,my ,,children #be ,,the ,,pink ,,sunbonnet #bf ,,when ,,first ,i ,,kissed ,,her #bg ,,my ,,wife ,,is ,,standing ,,there #cj ,a' ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song #cc ,a' ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song--,,tailpiece #ce ,a ,,very ,,youthful ,,affair #cf ,,an ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho #da ,,an ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho--,,tailpiece #dc ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart--,,title #dd ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart--,,tailpiece #de ,,dream #dg ,,dream--,,tailpiece #di ,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in--,,title #ej ,a ,,dark ,,and ,,eerie ,,child #ea ,,when ,,she ,,first ,,came ,,to ,,me #eg ,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in--,,tailpiece #ei ,,her ,,beautiful ,,eyes #fa ,,her ,,face ,,and ,,brow #fc ,,let ,,us ,,forget--,,title #fd ,,our ,,worn ,,eyes ,,are ,,wet #fe ,,when ,,she ,,comes ,,home #fg ,,leonainie--,,title #fh ,,leonainie--,,tailpiece #gj ,,her ,,waiting ,,face #ga ,,the ,,old ,,year ,,and ,,the ,,new--,,title #gb ,i ,,saw ,,the ,,old ,,year ,,end #gc ,,their ,,sweet ,,sorrow #gg ,,judith #gi ,o1 ,,her ,,eyes ,,are ,,amber-,,fine #ha ,,he ,,and ,i #he ,,the ,,lost ,,path--,,title #hg ,,the ,,lost ,,path #hi ,,madonna-,,like ,,and ,,glorified #ia ,,how ,,it ,,happened #ig ,,when ,,my ,,dreams ,,come ,,true #aja ,,nothin' ,,to ,,say #aje ,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer--,,title #ajg ,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer--,,tailpiece #aaj ,,illileo #aac ,,wife-,,bless,d1 ,,the #aae ,,the ,,auld ,,trysting-,,tree #aai ,,my ,,mary--,,tailpiece #aba ,,home ,,at ,,night #abc ,,when ,,lide ,,married ,him--,,title #abe ,,when ,,lide ,,married ,him--,,tailpiece #abg ,,her ,,hair #abi ,,last ,,night ,,and ,,this--,,title #aca ,,last ,,night ,,and ,,this--,,tailpiece #acb ,a ,,discouraging ,,model--,,title #acc ,a ,,cameo ,,face #ace ,,suspense #acg ,,tom ,,van ,,arden--,,title #aci ,,tom ,,van ,,arden #ada ,,to ,,hear ,,her ,,sing #adf ,,the ,,rival #adh ,a ,,variation--,,title #aea ,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land8--,,title #aed ,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land8--,,tailpiece #aef ,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands--,,title #aeg ,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands--,,tailpiece #aeh ,o ,,rarely ,,soft1 ,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands #aei ,a ,,song ,,of ,,long ,,ago #afa ,,when ,,age ,,comes ,,on #afe ,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor--,,title #afg ,,ridin' ,,home ,,with ,,mary #aga ,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor--,,tailpiece #agg ,,the ,,rose--,,title #agh ,,has ,,she ,,forgotten8 #ahc ,,blooms ,,of ,,may--,,title #ahe ,o ,,lad ,,and ,,lass #ahf ,o ,,gleam ,,and ,,gloom ,,and ,,woodland ,,bloom #ahg ,,the ,,sermon ,,of ,,the ,,rose #aia ,illustration3 7,,illustrations--,,tailpiece7 ,,riley ,,love-,,lyrics ,illustration3 7,,an ,,old ,,sweetheart ,,of ,,mine7 ,,an ,,old ,,sweetheart ,,of ,,mine ,as one who cons at evening o'er an album all alone1 ,and muses on the faces of the friends that he has known1 ,so ,i turn the leaves of fancy till1 in shadowy design1 ,i find the smiling features of an old sweetheart of mine4 ,illustration3 7,,and ,i ,,light ,,my ,,pipe ,,in ,,silence7 ,the lamplight seems to glimmer with a flicker of surprise1 ,as ,i turn it low to rest me of the dazzle in my eyes1 ,and light my pipe in silence1 save a sigh that seems to yoke ,its fate with my tobacco and to vanish with the smoke4 ',tis a fragrant retrospection--for the loving thoughts that start ,into being are like perfume from the blossom of the heart2 ,and to dream the old dreams over is a luxury divine-- ,when my truant fancy wanders with that old sweetheart of mine4 ,though ,i hear1 beneath my study1 like a fluttering of wings1 ,the voices of my children1 and the mother as she sings1 ,i feel no twinge of conscience to deny me any theme ,when ,care has cast her anchor in the harbor of a dream4 ,in fact1 to speak in earnest1 ,i believe it adds a charm ,to spice the good a trifle with a little dust of harm-- ,for ,i find an extra flavor in ,memory's mellow wine ,that makes me drink the deeper to that old sweetheart of mine4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,voices ,,of ,,my ,,children7 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,pink ,,sunbonnet7 ,a face of lily-beauty1 with a form of airy grace1 ,floats out of my tobacco as the genii from the vase2 ,and ,i thrill beneath the glances of a pair of azure eyes ,as glowing as the summer and as tender as the skies4 ,i can see the pink sunbonnet and the little checkered dress ,she wore when first ,i kissed her and she answered the caress ,with the written declaration that1 as surely as the vine ,grew round the stump1 she loved me--that old sweetheart of mine4 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,first ,i ,,kissed ,,her7 ,and again ,i feel the pressure of her slender little hand1 ,as we used to talk together of the future we had planned-- ,when ,i should be a poet1 and with nothing else to do ,but write the tender verses that she set the music to3 ,when we should live together in a cozy little cot ,hid in a nest of roses1 with a fairy garden-spot1 ,where the vines were ever fruited1 and the weather ever fine1 ,and the birds were ever singing for that old sweetheart of mine3 ,illustration ,when ,i should be her lover forever and a day1 ,and she my faithful sweetheart till the golden hair was gray2 ,and we should be so happy that when either's lips were dumb ,they would not smile in ,heaven till the other's kiss had come4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but1 ah6 my dream is broken by a step upon the stair1 ,and the door is softly opened1 and--my wife is standing there2 ,yet with eagerness and rapture all my visions ,i resign ,to greet the living presence of that old sweetheart of mine4 ,illustration3 7,,my ,,wife ,,is ,,standing ,,there7 ,a' ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song ,it's the curiousest thing in creation1 ,whenever ,i hear that old song ,do ,they ,miss ,me at ,home1 ,i'm so bothered1 ,my life seems as short as it's long6-- ,fer ev'rything 'pears like adzackly ,it 'peared in the years past and gone1-- ,when ,i started out sparkin'1 at twenty1 ,and had my first neckercher on6 ,though ,i'm wrinkelder1 older and grayer ,right now than my parents was then1 ,you strike up that song ,do ,they ,miss ,me1 ,and ,i'm jest a youngster again6-- ,i'm a-standin' back thare in the furries ,a-wishin' fer evening to come1 ,and a-whisperin' over and over ,them words ,do ,they ,miss ,me at ,home8 ,you see1 ,marthy ,ellen she sung it ,the first time ,i heerd it2 and so1 ,as she was my very first sweetheart1 ,it reminds me of her1 don't you know2-- ,how her face used to look1 in the twilight1 ,as ,i tuck her to ,spellin'2 and she ,kep' a-hummin' that song tel ,i ast her1 ,pine-blank1 ef she ever missed me6 ,i can shet my eyes now1 as you sing it1 ,and hear her low answerin' words2 ,and then the glad chirp of the crickets1 ,as clear as the twitter of birds2 ,and the dust in the road is like velvet1 ,and the ragweed and fennel and grass ,is as sweet as the scent of the lilies ,of ,eden of old1 as we pass4 ,do ,they ,miss ,me at ,home8 ,sing it lower-- ,and softer--and sweet as the breeze ,that powdered our path with the snowy ,white bloom of the old locus'-trees6 ,let the whipperwills he'p you to sing it1 ,and the echoes 'way over the hill1 ,tel the moon boolges out1 in a chorus ,of stars1 and our voices is still4 ,illustration3 7,a' ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song7 ,but oh6 ,they's a chord in the music ,that's missed when her voice is away6 ,though ,i listen from midnight tel morning1 ,and dawn tel the dusk of the day6 ,and ,i grope through the dark1 lookin' up'ards ,and on through the heavenly dome1 ,with my longin' soul singin' and sobbin' ,the words ,do ,they ,miss ,me at ,home8 ,illustration3 7,a' ,,old ,,played-,,out ,,song--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,a ,,very ,,youthful ,,affair7 ,a ,,very ,,youthful ,,affair ,i'm bin a-visitun 'bout a week ,to my little ,cousin's at ,nameless ,creek1 ,an' ,i'm got the hives an' a new straw hat1 ,an' ,i'm come back home where my beau lives at4 ,,an ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho ,how tired ,i am6 ,i sink down all alone ,here by the wayside of the ,present4 ,lo1 ,even as a child ,i hide my face and moan-- ,a little girl that may no farther go2 ,the path above me only seems to grow ,more rugged1 climbing still1 and ever briered ,with keener thorns of pain than these below2 ,and ,o the bleeding feet that falter so ,and are so very tired6 ,why1 ,i have journeyed from the far-off ,lands ,of ,babyhood--where baby-lilies blew ,their trumpets in mine ears1 and filled my hands ,with treasures of perfume and honey-dew1 ,and where the orchard shadows ever drew ,their cool arms round me when my cheeks were fired ,with too much joy1 and lulled mine eyelids to1 ,and only let the starshine trickle through ,in sprays1 when ,i was tired6 ,yet ,i remember1 when the butterfly ,went flickering about me like a flame ,that quenched itself in roses suddenly1 ,how oft ,i wished that ,i might blaze the same1 ,and in some rose-wreath nestle with my name1 ,while all the world looked on it and admired4-- ,poor moth6--,along my wavering flight toward fame ,the winds drive backward1 and my wings are lame ,and broken1 bruised and tired6 ,i hardly know the path from those old times2 ,i know at first it was a smoother one ,than this that hurries past me now1 and climbs ,so high1 its far cliffs even hide the sun ,and shroud in gloom my journey scarce begun4 ,i could not do quite all the world required-- ,i could not do quite all ,i should have done1 ,and in my eagerness ,i have outrun ,my strength--and ,i am tired4444 ,just tired6 ,but when of old ,i had the stay ,of mother-hands1 ,o very sweet indeed ,it was to dream that all the weary way ,i should but follow where ,i now must lead-- ,for long ago they left me in my need1 ,and1 groping on alone1 ,i tripped and mired ,among rank grasses where the serpents breed ,in knotted coils about the feet of speed4-- ,there first it was ,i tired4 ,and yet ,i staggered on1 and bore my load ,right gallantly3 ,the sun1 in summer-time1 ,in lazy belts came slipping down the road ,to woo me on1 with many a glimmering rhyme ,rained from the golden rim of some fair clime1 ,that1 hovering beyond the clouds1 inspired ,my failing heart with fancies so sublime ,i half forgot my path of dust and grime1 ,though ,i was growing tired4 ,and there were many voices cheering me3 ,i listened to sweet praises where the wind ,went laughing o'er my shoulders gleefully ,and scattering my love-songs far behind2-- ,until1 at last1 ,i thought the world so kind-- ,so rich in all my yearning soul desired-- ,so generous--so loyally inclined1 ,i grew to love and trust it4444 ,i was blind-- ,yea1 blind as ,i was tired6 ,and yet one hand held me in creature-touch3 ,and ,o1 how fair it was1 how true and strong1 ,how it did hold my heart up like a crutch1 ,till1 in my dreams1 ,i joyed to walk along ,the toilsome way1 contented with a song-- ',twas all of earthly things ,i had acquired1 ,and 'twas enough1 ,i feigned1 or right or wrong1 ,since1 binding me to man--a mortal thong-- ,it stayed me1 growing tired4444 ,yea1 ,i had e'en resigned me to the strait ,of earthly rulership--had bowed my head ,acceptant of the master-mind--the great ,one lover--lord of all1--the perfected ,kiss-comrade of my soul2--had stammering said ,my prayers to him2--all--all that he desired ,i rendered sacredly as we were wed4-- ,nay--nay6--'twas but a myth ,i worshippd4-- ,and--,god of love6--how tired6 ,illustration3 7,,an ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho7 ,for1 ,o my friends1 to lose the latest grasp-- ,to feel the last hope slipping from its hold-- ,to feel the one fond hand within your clasp ,fall slack1 and loosen with a touch so cold ,its pressure may not warm you as of old ,before the light of love had thus expired-- ,to know your tears are worthless1 though they rolled ,their torrents out in molten drops of gold4-- ,god's pity6 ,i am tired6 ,and ,i must rest4--,yet do not say ,she died1 ,in speaking of me1 sleeping here alone4 ,i kiss the grassy grave ,i sink beside1 ,and close mine eyes in slumber all mine own3 ,hereafter ,i shall neither sob nor moan ,nor murmur one complaint2--all ,i desired1 ,and failed in life to find1 will now be known-- ,so let me dream4 ,good night6 ,and on the stone ,say simply3 ,she was tired4 ,illustration3 7,,an ,,out-,,worn ,,sappho--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart--,,title7 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart ,o ,touch me with your hands-- ,for pity's sake6 ,my brow throbs ever on with such an ache ,as only your cool touch may take away2 ,and so1 ,i pray ,you1 touch me with your hands6 ,touch--touch me with your hands4-- ,smooth back the hair ,you once caressed1 and kissed1 and called so fair ,that ,i did dream its gold would wear alway1 ,and lo1 to-day-- ,o touch me with your hands6 ,just touch me with your hands1 ,and let them press ,my weary eyelids with the old caress1 ,and lull me till ,i sleep4 ,then go your way1 ,that ,death may say3 ,he touched her with his hands4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,passing ,,of ,a ,,heart--,,tailpiece7 ,,dream ,because her eyes were far too deep ,and holy for a laugh to leap ,across the brink where sorrow tried ,to drown within the amber tide2 ,because the looks1 whose ripples kissed ,the trembling lids through tender mist1 ,were dazzled with a radiant gleam-- ,because of this ,i called her ,dream4 ,because the roses growing wild ,about her features when she smiled ,were ever dewed with tears that fell ,with tenderness ineffable2 ,because her lips might spill a kiss ,that1 dripping in a world like this1 ,would tincture death's myrrh-bitter stream ,to sweetness--so ,i called her ,dream4 ,illustration3 7,,dream7 ,because ,i could not understand ,the magic touches of a hand ,that seemed1 beneath her strange control1 ,to smooth the plumage of the soul ,and calm it1 till1 with folded wings1 ,it half forgot its flutterings1 ,and1 nestled in her palm1 did seem ,to trill a song that called her ,dream4 ,because ,i saw her1 in a sleep ,as dark and desolate and deep ,and fleeting as the taunting night ,that flings a vision of delight ,to some lorn martyr as he lies ,in slumber ere the day he dies-- ,because she vanished like a gleam ,of glory1 do ,i call her ,dream4 ,illustration3 7,,dream--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in--,,title7 ,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in ,i ,he called her in from me and shut the door4 ,and she so loved the sunshine and the sky6-- ,she loved them even better yet than ,i ,that ne'er knew dearth of them--my mother dead1 ,nature had nursed me in her lap instead3 ,and ,i had grown a dark and eerie child ,that rarely smiled1 ,save when1 shut all alone in grasses high1 ,looking straight up in ,god's great lonesome sky ,and coaxing ,mother to smile back on me4 ',twas lying thus1 this fair girl suddenly ,came to me1 nestled in the fields beside ,a pleasant-seeming home1 with doorway wide-- ,the sunshine beating in upon the floor ,illustration3 7,a ,,dark ,,and ,,eerie ,,child7 ,like golden rain4-- ,o sweet1 sweet face above me1 turn again ,and leave me6 ,i had cried1 but that an ache ,within my throat so gripped it ,i could make ,no sound but a thick sobbing4 ,cowering so1 ,i felt her light hand laid ,upon my hair--a touch that ne'er before ,had tamed me thus1 all soothed and unafraid-- ,it seemed the touch the children used to know ,when ,christ was here1 so dear it was--so dear1-- ,at once ,i loved her as the leaves love dew ,in midmost summer when the days are new4 ,barely an hour ,i knew her1 yet a curl ,of silken sunshine did she clip for me ,out of the bright ,may-morning of her hair1 ,and bound and gave it to me laughingly1 ,and caught my hands and called me ,little girl1 ,tiptoeing1 as she spoke1 to kiss me there6 ,and ,i stood dazed and dumb for very stress ,of my great happiness4 ,she plucked me by the gown1 nor saw how mean ,the raiment--drew me with her everywhere3 ,smothered her face in tufts of grasses green3 ,put up her dainty hands and peeped between ,her fingers at the blossoms--crooned and talked ,to them in strange1 glad whispers1 as we walked1-- ,said this one was her angel mother--this1 ,her baby-sister--come back1 for a kiss1 ,clean from the ,good-,world6--smiled and kissed them1 then ,closed her soft eyes and kissed them o'er again4 ,and so did she beguile me--so we played1-- ,she was the dazzling ,shine--,i1 the dark ,shade-- ,and we did mingle like to these1 and thus1 ,together1 made ,the perfect summer1 pure and glorious4 ,so blent we1 till a harsh voice broke upon ,our happiness4--,she1 startled as a fawn1 ,cried1 ,oh1 'tis ,father6--all the blossoms gone ,from out her cheeks as those from out her grasp4-- ,harsher the voice came3--,she could only gasp ,affrightedly1 ,good-bye6--good-bye6 good-bye6 ,and lo1 ,i stood alone1 with that harsh cry ,ringing a new and unknown sense of shame ,through soul and frame1 ,and1 with wet eyes1 repeating o'er and o'er1-- ,he called her in from me and shut the door6 ,,ii ,he called her in from me and shut the door6 ,and ,i went wandering alone again-- ,so lonely--,o so very lonely then1 ,i thought no little sallow star1 alone ,in all a world of twilight1 e'er had known ,such utter loneliness4 ,but that ,i wore ,above my heart that gleaming tress of hair ,to lighten up the night of my despair1 ,i think ,i might have groped into my grave ,nor cared to wave ,the ferns above it with a breath of prayer4 ,and how ,i hungered for the sweet1 sweet face ,that bent above me in my hiding-place ,that day amid the grasses there beside ,her pleasant home6--,her pleasant home6 ,i sighed1 ,remembering2--then shut my teeth and feigned ,the harsh voice calling me1--then clinched my nails ,so deeply in my palms1 the sharp wounds pained1 ,and tossed my face toward heaven1 as one who pales ,in splendid martyrdom1 with soul serene1 ,as near to ,god as high the guillotine4 ,and ,i had envied her8 ,not that--,o no6 ,but ,i had longed for some sweet haven so6-- ,wherein the tempest-beaten heart might ride ,sometimes at peaceful anchor1 and abide ,where those that loved me touched me with their hands1 ,and looked upon me with glad eyes1 and slipped ,smooth fingers o'er my brow1 and lulled the strands ,of my wild tresses1 as they backward tipped ,my yearning face and kissed it satisfied4 ,then bitterly ,i murmured as before1-- ,he called her in from me and shut the door6 ,,iii ,he called her in from me and shut the door6 ,after long struggling with my pride and pain-- ,a weary while it seemed1 in which the more ,i held myself from her1 the greater fain ,was ,i to look upon her face again2-- ,at last--at last--half conscious where my feet ,were faring1 ,i stood waist-deep in the sweet ,green grasses there where she ,first came to me4-- ,the very blossoms she had plucked that day1 ,and1 at her father's voice1 had cast away1 ,around me lay1 ,still bright and blooming in these eyes of mine2 ,and as ,i gathered each one eagerly1 ,i pressed it to my lips and drank the wine ,her kisses left there for the honey-bee4 ,then1 after ,i had laid them with the tress ,illustration3 7,,when ,,she ,,first ,,came ,,to ,,me7 ,of her bright hair with lingering tenderness1 ,i1 turning1 crept on to the hedge that bound ,her pleasant-seeming home--but all around ,was never sign of her6--,the windows all ,were blinded2 and ,i heard no rippling fall ,of her glad laugh1 nor any harsh voice call2-- ,but clutching to the tangled grasses1 caught ,a sound as though a strong man bowed his head ,and sobbed alone--unloved--uncomforted6-- ,and then straightway before ,my tearless eyes1 all vividly1 was wrought ,a vision that is with me evermore3-- ,a little girl that lies asleep1 nor hears ,nor heeds not any voice nor fall of tears4-- ,and ,i sit singing o'er and o'er and o'er1-- ,god called her in from him and shut the door6 ,illustration3 7,,he ,,called ,,her ,,in--,,tailpiece7 ,,her ,,beautiful ,,eyes ,o her beautiful eyes6 they are blue as the dew ,on the violet's bloom when the morning is new1 ,and the light of their love is the gleam of the sun ,o'er the meadows of ,spring where the quick shadows run ,as the morn shifts the mists and the clouds from the skies-- ,so ,i stand in the dawn of her beautiful eyes4 ,and her beautiful eyes are as mid-day to me1 ,when the lily-bell bends with the weight of the bee1 ,and the throat of the thrush is a-pulse in the heat1 ,and the senses are drugged with the subtle and sweet ,and delirious breaths of the air's lullabies-- ,so ,i swoon in the noon of her beautiful eyes4 ,o her beautiful eyes6 they have smitten mine own ,as a glory glanced down from the glare of the ,throne2 ,and ,i reel1 and ,i falter and fall1 as afar ,fell the shepherds that looked on the mystical ,star1 ,and yet dazed in the tidings that bade them arise-- ,so ,i groped through the night of her beautiful eyes4 ,illustration3 7,,her ,,beautiful ,,eyes7 ,illustration3 7,,her ,,face ,,and ,,brow7 ,,her ,,face ,,and ,,brow ,ah1 help me6 but her face and brow ,are lovelier than lilies are ,beneath the light of moon and star ,that smile as they are smiling now-- ,white lilies in a pallid swoon ,of sweetest white beneath the moon-- ,white lilies1 in a flood of bright ,pure lucidness of liquid light ,cascading down some plenilune1 ,when all the azure overhead ,blooms like a dazzling daisy-bed4-- ,so luminous her face and brow1 ,the luster of their glory1 shed ,in memory1 even1 blinds me now4 ,illustration3 7,,let ,,us ,,forget--,,title7 ,,let ,,us ,,forget ,let us forget4 ,what matters it that we ,once reigned o'er happy realms of long-ago1 ,and talked of love1 and let our voices low1 ,and ruled for some brief sessions royally8 ,what if we sung1 or laughed1 or wept maybe8 ,it has availed not anything1 and so ,let it go by that we may better know ,how poor a thing is lost to you and me4 ,but yesterday ,i kissed your lips1 and yet ,did thrill you not enough to shake the dew ,from your drenched lids--and missed1 with no regret1 ,your kiss shot back1 with sharp breaths failing you3 ,and so1 to-day1 while our worn eyes are wet ,with all this waste of tears1 let us forget6 ,illustration3 7,,our ,,worn ,,eyes ,,are ,,wet7 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,she ,,comes ,,home7 ,,when ,,she ,,comes ,,home ,when she comes home again6 ,a thousand ways ,i fashion1 to myself1 the tenderness ,of my glad welcome3 ,i shall tremble--yes2 ,and touch her1 as when first in the old days ,i touched her girlish hand1 nor dared upraise ,mine eyes1 such was my faint heart's sweet distress4 ,then silence3 ,and the perfume of her dress3 ,the room will sway a little1 and a haze ,cloy eyesight--soulsight1 even--for a space3 ,and tears--yes2 and the ache here in the throat1 ,to know that ,i so ill deserve the place ,her arms make for me2 and the sobbing note ,i stay with kisses1 ere the tearful face ,again is hidden in the old embrace4 ,illustration3 7,,leonainie--,,title7 ,,leonainie ,leonainie--,angels named her2 ,and they took the light ,of the laughing stars and framed her ,in a smile of white2 ,and they made her hair of gloomy ,midnight1 and her eyes of bloomy ,moonshine1 and they brought her to me ,in the solemn night4--- ,in a solemn night of summer1 ,when my heart of gloom ,blossomed up to greet the comer ,like a rose in bloom2 ,all forebodings that distressed me ,i forgot as ,joy caressed me-- 7,lying ,joy6 that caught and pressed me ,in the arms of doom67 ,only spake the little lisper ,in the ,angel-tongue2 ,yet ,i1 listening1 heard her whisper-- ,songs are only sung ,here below that they may grieve you-- ,tales but told you to deceive you1-- ,so must ,leonainie leave you ,while her love is young4 ,then ,god smiled and it was morning4 ,matchless and supreme ,heaven's glory seemed adorning ,earth with its esteem3 ,every heart but mine seemed gifted ,with the voice of prayer1 and lifted ,where my ,leonainie drifted ,from me like a dream4 ,illustration3 7,,leonainie--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,,her ,,waiting ,,face7 ,,her ,,waiting ,,face ,in some strange place ,of long-lost lands he finds her waiting face-- ,comes marveling upon it1 unaware1 ,set moonwise in the midnight of her hair4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,old ,,year ,,and ,,the ,,new--,,title7 ,,the ,,old ,,year ,,and ,,the ,,new ,i ,as one in sorrow looks upon ,the dead face of a loyal friend1 ,by the dim light of ,new ,year's dawn ,i saw the ,old ,year end4 ,upon the pallid features lay ,the dear old smile--so warm and bright ,ere thus its cheer had died away ,in ashes of delight4 ,the hands that ,i had learned to love ,with strength of passion half divine1 ,were folded now1 all heedless of ,the emptiness of mine4 ,illustration3 7,i ,,saw ,,the ,,old ,,year ,,end7 ,the eyes that once had shed their bright ,sweet looks like sunshine1 now were dull1 ,and ever lidded from the light ,that made them beautiful4 ,,ii ,the chimes of bells were in the air1 ,and sounds of mirth in hall and street1 ,with pealing laughter everywhere ,and throb of dancing feet3 ,the mirth and the convivial din ,of revelers in wanton glee1 ,with tunes of harp and violin ,in tangled harmony4 ,but with a sense of nameless dread1 ,i turned me1 from the merry face ,of this newcomer1 to my dead2 ,and1 kneeling there a space1 ,i sobbed aloud1 all tearfully3-- ,by this dear face so fixed and cold1 ,o ,lord1 let not this ,new ,year be ,as happy as the old6 ,,their ,,sweet ,,sorrow ,they meet to say farewell3 ,their way ,of saying this is hard to say4-- ,he holds her hand an instant1 wholly ,distressed--and she unclasps it slowly4 ,he bends his gaze evasively ,over the printed page that she ,recurs to1 with a new-moon shoulder ,glimpsed from the lace-mists that enfold her4 ,the clock1 beneath its crystal cup1 ,discreetly clicks--,quick6 ,act6 ,speak up6 ,a tension circles both her slender ,wrists--and her raised eyes flash in splendor4 ,even as he feels his dazzled own4-- ,then1 blindingly1 round either thrown1 ,they feel a stress of arms that ever ,strain tremblingly--and ,never6 ,never6 ,is whispered brokenly1 with half ,a sob1 like a belated laugh1-- ,while cloyingly their blurred kiss closes1 ,sweet as the dew's lip to the rose's4 ,illustration3 7,,their ,,sweet ,,sorrow7 ,illustration3 7,,judith7 ,,judith ,o her eyes are amber-fine-- ,dark and deep as wells of wine1 ,while her smile is like the noon ,splendor of a day of ,june4 ,if she sorrow--lo6 her face ,it is like a flowery space ,in bright meadows1 overlaid ,with light clouds and lulled with shade4 ,if she laugh--it is the trill ,of the wayward whippoorwill ,over upland pastures1 heard ,echoed by the mocking-bird ,in dim thickets dense with bloom ,and blurred cloyings of perfume4 ,if she sigh--a zephyr swells ,over odorous asphodels ,and wan lilies in lush plots ,of moon-drown'd forget-me-nots4 ,then1 the soft touch of her hand-- ,takes all breath to understand ,what to liken it thereto6-- ,never roseleaf rinsed with dew ,might slip soother-suave than slips ,her slow palm1 the while her lips ,swoon through mine1 with kiss on kiss ,sweet as heated honey is4 ,illustration3 7,o1 ,,her ,,eyes ,,are ,,amber-,,fine7 ,,he ,,and ,i ,just drifting on together-- ,he and ,i-- ,as through the balmy weather ,of ,july ,drift two thistle-tufts imbedded ,each in each--by zephyrs wedded-- ,touring upward1 giddy-headed1 ,for the sky4 ,and1 veering up and onward1 ,do we seem ,forever drifting dawnward ,in a dream1 ,where we meet song-birds that know us1 ,and the winds their kisses blow us1 ,while the years flow far below us ,like a stream4 ,and we are happy--very-- ,he and ,i-- ,aye1 even glad and merry ,though on high ,the heavens are sometimes shrouded ,by the midnight storm1 and clouded ,till the pallid moon is crowded ,from the sky4 ,my spirit ne'er expresses ,any choice ,but to clothe him with caresses ,and rejoice2 ,and as he laughs1 it is in ,such a tone the moonbeams glisten ,and the stars come out to listen ,to his voice4 ,and so1 whate'er the weather1 ,he and ,i1-- ,with our lives linked thus together1 ,float and fly ,as two thistle-tufts imbedded ,each in each--by zephyrs wedded-- ,touring upward1 giddy-headed1 ,for the sky4 ,illustration3 7,,he ,,and ,i7 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,lost ,,path--,,title7 ,,the ,,lost ,,path ,alone they walked--their fingers knit together1 ,and swaying listlessly as might a swing ,wherein ,dan ,cupid dangled in the weather ,of some sun-flooded afternoon of ,spring4 ,within the clover-fields the tickled cricket ,laughed lightly as they loitered down the lane1 ,and from the covert of the hazel-thicket ,the squirrel peeped and laughed at them again4 ,the bumble-bee that tipped the lily-vases ,along the road-side in the shadows dim1 ,went following the blossoms of their faces ,as though their sweets must needs be shared with him4 ,between the pasture bars the wondering cattle ,stared wistfully1 and from their mellow bells ,shook out a welcoming whose dreamy rattle ,fell swooningly away in faint farewells4 ,and though at last the gloom of night fell o'er them ,and folded all the landscape from their eyes1 ,they only know the dusky path before them ,was leading safely on to ,paradise4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,lost ,,path7 ,,my ,,bride ,,that ,,is ,,to ,,be ,o soul of mine1 look out and see ,my bride1 my bride that is to be6 ,reach out with mad1 impatient hands1 ,and draw aside futurity ,as one might draw a veil aside-- ,and so unveil her where she stands ,madonna-like and glorified-- ,the queen of undiscovered lands ,of love1 to where she beckons me-- ,my bride--my bride that is to be4 ,the shadow of a willow-tree ,that wavers on a garden-wall ,in summertime may never fall ,in attitude as gracefully ,as my fair bride that is to be2-- ,nor ever ,autumn's leaves of brown ,as lightly flutter to the lawn ,as fall her fairy-feet upon ,the path of love she loiters down4-- ,o'er drops of dew she walks1 and yet ,not one may stain her sandal wet-- ,aye1 she might dance upon the way ,nor crush a single drop to spray1 ,so airy-like she seems to me1-- ,my bride1 my bride that is to be4 ,illustration3 7,,madonna-,,like ,,and ,,glorified7 ,i know not if her eyes are light ,as summer skies or dark as night1-- ,i only know that they are dim ,with mystery3 ,in vain ,i peer ,to make their hidden meaning clear1 ,while o'er their surface1 like a tear ,that ripples to the silken brim1 ,a look of longing seems to swim ,all worn and wearylike to me2 ,and then1 as suddenly1 my sight ,is blinded with a smile so bright1 ,through folded lids ,i still may see ,my bride1 my bride that is to be4 ,her face is like a night of ,june ,upon whose brow the crescent-moon ,hangs pendant in a diadem ,of stars1 with envy lighting them4-- ,and1 like a wild cascade1 her hair ,floods neck and shoulder1 arm and wrist1 ,till only through a gleaming mist ,i seem to see a siren there1 ,with lips of love and melody ,and open arms and heaving breast ,wherein ,i fling myself to rest1 ,the while my heart cries hopelessly ,for my fair bride that is to be4444 ,nay1 foolish heart and blinded eyes6 ,my bride hath need of no disguise4-- ,but1 rather1 let her come to me ,in such a form as bent above ,my pillow when in infancy ,i knew not anything but love4-- ,o let her come from out the lands ,of ,womanhood--not fairy isles1-- ,and let her come with ,woman's hands ,and ,woman's eyes of tears and smiles1-- ,with ,woman's hopefulness and grace ,of patience lighting up her face3 ,and let her diadem be wrought ,of kindly deed and prayerful thought1 ,that ever over all distress ,may beam the light of cheerfulness4-- ,and let her feet be brave to fare ,the labyrinths of doubt and care1 ,that1 following1 my own may find ,the path to ,heaven ,god designed4-- ,o let her come like this to me-- ,my bride--my bride that is to be4 ,,how ,,it ,,happened ,i got to thinkin' of her--both her parents dead and gone-- ,and all her sisters married off1 and none but her and ,john ,a-livin' all alone there in that lonesome sort o' way1 ,and him a blame old bachelor1 confirmder ev'ry day6 ,i'd knowed 'em all from childern1 and their daddy from the time ,he settled in the neighberhood1 and hadn't airy a dime ,er dollar1 when he married1 fer to start housekeepin' on6-- ,so ,i got to thinkin' of her--both her parents dead and gone6 ,i got to thinkin' of her2 and a-wundern what she done ,that all her sisters kep' a-gittin' married1 one by one1 ,and her without no chances--and the best girl of the pack-- ,an old maid1 with her hands1 you might say1 tied behind her back6 ,and ,mother1 too1 afore she died1 she ust to jes' take on1 ,when none of 'em was left1 you know1 but ,evaline and ,john1 ,and jes' declare to goodness 'at the young men must be bline ,to not see what a wife they'd git if they got ,evaline6 ,i got to thinkin' of her2 in my great affliction she ,was sich a comfert to us1 and so kind and neighberly1-- ,she'd come1 and leave her housework1 fer to he'p out little ,jane1 ,and talk of her own mother 'at she'd never see again-- ,maybe sometimes cry together--though1 fer the most part she ,would have the child so riconciled and happy-like 'at we ,felt lonesomer 'n ever when she'd put her bonnet on ,and say she'd railly haf to be a-gittin' back to ,john6 ,i got to thinkin' of her1 as ,i say1--and more and more ,i'd think of her dependence1 and the burdens 'at she bore1-- ,her parents both a-bein' dead1 and all her sisters gone ,and married off1 and her a-livin' there alone with ,john-- ,you might say jes' a-toilin' and a-slavin' out her life ,fer a man 'at hadn't pride enough to git hisse'f a wife-- ',less some one married ,evaline and packed her off some day6-- ,so ,i got to thinkin' of her--and it happened thataway4 ,illustration3 7,,how ,,it ,,happened7 ,,when ,,my ,,dreams ,,come ,,true ,i ,when my dreams come true--when my dreams come true-- ,shall ,i lean from out my casement1 in the starlight and the dew1 ,to listen--smile and listen to the tinkle of the strings ,of the sweet guitar my lover's fingers fondle1 as he sings8 ,and as the nude moon slowly1 slowly shoulders into view1 ,shall ,i vanish from his vision--when my dreams come true8 ,when my dreams come true--shall the simple gown ,i wear ,be changed to softest satin1 and my maiden-braided hair ,be raveled into flossy mists of rarest1 fairest gold1 ,to be minted into kisses1 more than any heart can hold8-- ,or the summer of my tresses shall my lover liken to ,the fervor of his passion--when my dreams come true8 ,,ii ,when my dreams come true--,i shall bide among the sheaves ,of happy harvest meadows2 and the grasses and the leaves ,shall lift and lean between me and the splendor of the sun1 ,till the moon swoons into twilight1 and the gleaners' work is done-- ,save that yet an arm shall bind me1 even as the reapers do ,the meanest sheaf of harvest--when my dreams come true4 ,when my dreams come true6 when my dreams come true6 ,true love in all simplicity is fresh and pure as dew2-- ,the blossom in the blackest mold is kindlier to the eye ,than any lily born of pride that looms against the sky3 ,and so it is ,i know my heart will gladly welcome you1 ,my lowliest of lovers1 when my dreams come true4 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,my ,,dreams ,,come ,,true7 ,,nothin' ,,to ,,say ,nothin' to say1 my daughter6 ,nothin' at all to say6 ,gyrls that's in love1 ,i've noticed1 ginerly has their way6 ,yer mother did1 afore you1 when her folks objected to me-- ,yit here ,i am1 and here you air2 and yer mother--where is she8 ,you look lots like yer mother3 ,purty much same in size2 ,and about the same complected2 and favor about the eyes3 ,like her1 too1 about livin' here1--because she couldn't stay3 ,it'll 'most seem like you was dead--like her6--,but ,i hain't got nothin' to say6 ,she left you her little ,bible--writ yer name acrost the page-- ,and left her ear bobs fer you1 ef ever you come of age4 ,i've allus kep' 'em and gyuarded 'em1 but ef yer goin' away-- ,nothin' to say1 my daughter6 ,nothin' at all to say6 ,you don't rikollect her1 ,i reckon8 ,no2 you wasn't a year old then6 ,and now yer--how old air you8 ,w'y1 child1 not twenty6 ,when8 ,and yer nex' birthday's in ,aprile8 and you want to git married that day8 444 ,i wisht yer mother was livin'6--,but--,i hain't got nothin' to say6 ,twenty year6 and as good a gyrl as parent ever found6 ,there's a straw ketched onto yer dress there--,i'll bresh it off--turn round4 7,her mother was jes' twenty when us two run away67 ,nothin' to say1 my daughter6 ,nothin' at all to say6 ,illustration3 7,,nothin' ,,to ,,say7 ,illustration3 7,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer--,,title7 ,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer ,i crave1 dear ,lord1 ,no boundless hoard ,of gold and gear1 ,nor jewels fine1 ,nor lands1 nor kine1 ,nor treasure-heaps of anything-- ,let but a little hut be mine ,where at the hearthstone ,i may hear ,the cricket sing1 ,and have the shine ,of one glad woman's eyes to make1 ,for my poor sake1 ,our simple home a place divine2-- ,just the wee cot--the cricket's chirr-- ,love1 and the smiling face of her4 ,i pray not for ,great riches1 nor ,for vast estates1 and castle-halls1-- ,give me to hear the bare footfalls ,of children o'er ,an oaken floor1 ,new-rinsed with sunshine1 or bespread ,with but the tiny coverlet ,and pillow for the baby's head2 ,and pray ,thou1 may ,the door stand open and the day ,send ever in a gentle breeze1 ,with fragrance from the locust-trees1 ,and drowsy moan of doves1 and blur ,of robin-chirps1 and drone of bees1 ,with afterhushes of the stir ,of intermingling sounds1 and then ,the good-wife and the smile of her ,filling the silences again-- ,the cricket's call1 ,and the wee cot1 ,dear ,lord of all1 ,deny me not6 ,i pray not that ,men tremble at ,my power of place ,and lordly sway1-- ,i only pray for simple grace ,to look my neighbor in the face ,full honestly from day to day-- ,yield me his horny palm to hold1 ,and ,i'll not pray ,for gold2-- ,the tanned face1 garlanded with mirth1 ,it hath the kingliest smile on earth-- ,the swart brow1 diamonded with sweat1 ,hath never need of coronet4 ,and so ,i reach1 ,dear ,lord1 to ,thee1 ,and do beseech ,thou givest me ,the wee cot1 and the cricket's chirr1 ,love1 and the glad sweet face of her4 ,illustration3 7,,ike ,,walton',s ,,prayer--,,tailpiece7 ,,illileo ,illileo1 the moonlight seemed lost across the vales-- ,the stars but strewed the azure as an armor's scattered scales2 ,the airs of night were quiet as the breath of silken sails2 ,and all your words were sweeter than the notes of nightingales4 ,illileo ,legardi1 in the garden there alone1 ,with your figure carved of fervor1 as the ,psyche carved of stone1 ,there came to me no murmur of the fountain's undertone ,so mystically1 musically mellow as your own4 ,you whispered low1 ,illileo--so low the leaves were mute1 ,and the echoes faltered breathless in your voice's vain pursuit2 ,and there died the distant dalliance of the serenader's lute3 ,and ,i held you in my bosom as the husk may hold the fruit4 ,illileo1 ,i listened4 ,i believed you4 ,in my bliss1 ,what were all the worlds above me since ,i found you thus in this8-- ,let them reeling reach to win me--even ,heaven ,i would miss1 ,grasping earthward6--,i would cling here1 though ,i clung by just a kiss6 ,and blossoms should grow odorless--and lilies all aghast-- ,and ,i said the stars should slacken in their paces through the vast1 ,ere yet my loyalty should fail enduring to the last4-- ,so vowed ,i4 ,it is written4 ,it is changeless as the past4 ,illileo ,legardi1 in the shade your palace throws ,like a cowl about the singer at your gilded porticos1 ,a moan goes with the music that may vex the high repose ,of a heart that fades and crumbles as the crimson of a rose4 ,illustration3 7,,illileo7 ,illustration3 7,,wife-,,bless,d1 ,,the7 ,,the ,,wife-,,bless,d ,i ,in youth he wrought1 with eyes ablur1 ,lorn-faced and long of hair-- ,in youth--in youth he painted her ,a sister of the air-- ,could clasp her not1 but felt the stir ,of pinions everywhere4 ,,ii ,she lured his gaze1 in braver days1 ,and tranced him sirenwise2 ,and he did paint her1 through a haze ,of sullen paradise1 ,with scars of kisses on her face ,and embers in her eyes4 ,,iii ,and now--nor dream nor wild conceit-- ,though faltering1 as before-- ,through tears he paints her1 as is meet1 ,tracing the dear face o'er ,with lilied patience meek and sweet ,as ,mother ,mary wore4 ,,my ,,mary ,my ,mary1 ,o my ,mary6 ,the simmer-skies are blue2 ,the dawnin' brings the dazzle1 ,an' the gloamin' brings the dew1-- ,the mirk o' nicht the glory ,o' the moon1 an' kindles1 too1 ,the stars that shift aboon the lift4-- ,but nae thing brings me you6 ,where is it1 ,o my ,mary1 ,ye are biding a' the while8 ,i ha' wended by your window-- ,i ha' waited by the stile1 ,an' up an' down the river ,i ha' won for mony a mile1 ,yet never found1 adrift or drown'd1 ,your lang-belated smile4 ,is it forgot1 my ,mary1 ,how glad we used to be8-- ,the simmer-time when bonny bloomed ,the auld trysting-tree1-- ,how there ,i carved the name for you1 ,an' you the name for me2 ,an' the gloamin' kenned it only ,when we kissed sae tenderly4 ,speek ance to me1 my ,mary6-- ,but whisper in my ear ,as light as ony sleeper's breath1 ,an' a' my soul will hear2 ,my heart shall stap its beating ,an' the soughing atmosphere ,be hushed the while ,i leaning smile ,an' listen to you1 dear6 ,my ,mary1 ,o my ,mary6 ,the blossoms bring the bees2 ,the sunshine brings the blossoms1 ,an' the leaves on a' the trees2 ,the simmer brings the sunshine ,an' the fragrance o' the breeze1-- ,but ,o wi'out you1 ,mary1 ,i care nae thing for these6 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,auld ,,trysting-,,tree7 ,we were sae happy1 ,mary6 ,o think how ance we said-- ,wad ane o' us gae fickle1 ,or ane o' us lie dead1-- ,to feel anither's kisses ,we wad feign the auld instead1 ,an' ken the ither's footsteps ,in the green grass owerhead4 ,my ,mary1 ,o my ,mary6 ,are ye daughter o' the air1 ,that ye vanish aye before me ,as ,i follow everywhere8-- ,or is it ye are only ,but a mortal1 wan wi' care8-- ,syne ,i search through a' the kirkyird ,an' ,i dinna find ye there6 ,illustration3 7,,my ,,mary--,,tailpiece7 ,,home ,,at ,,night ,when chirping crickets fainter cry1 ,and pale stars blossom in the sky1 ,and twilight's gloom has dimmed the bloom ,and blurred the butterfly3 ,when locust-blossoms fleck the walk1 ,and up the tiger-lily stalk ,the glow-worm crawls and clings and falls ,and glimmers down the garden-walls3 ,when buzzing things1 with double wings ,of crisp and raspish flutterings1 ,go whizzing by so very nigh ,one thinks of fangs and stings3-- ,o then1 within1 is stilled the din ,of crib she rocks the baby in1 ,and heart and gate and latch's weight ,are lifted--and the lips of ,kate4 ,illustration3 7,,home ,,at ,,night7 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,lide ,,married ,him--,,title7 ,,when ,,lide ,,married ,,him ,when ,lide married him--w'y1 she had to jes dee-fy ,the whole poppilation6--,but she never bat' an eye6 ,her parents begged1 and threatened--she must give him up--that he ,wuz jes a common drunkard6--,and he wuz1 appearantly4-- ,swore they'd chase him off the place ,ef he ever showed his face-- ,long after she'd eloped with him and married him fer shore6-- ,when ,lide married him1 it wuz ,katy1 bar the door6 ,when ,lide married him--,well6 she had to go and be ,a hired girl in town somewheres--while he tromped round to see ,what he could git that he could do1--you might say1 jes sawed wood ,from door to door6--that's what he done--'cause that wuz best he could6 ,and the strangest thing1 i jing6 ,wuz1 he didn't drink a thing1-- ,but jes got down to bizness1 like he someway wanted to1 ,when ,lide married him1 like they warned her not to do6 ,when ,lide married him--er1 ruther1 had ben married ,a little up'ards of a year--some feller come and carried ,that hired girl away with him--a ruther stylish feller ,in a bran-new green spring-wagon1 with the wheels striped red and yeller3 ,and he whispered1 as they driv ,tords the country1 ,now we'll live6-- ,and somepin' else she laughed to hear1 though both her eyes wuz dim1 ',bout trustin' ,love and ,heav'n above1 sence ,lide married him6 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,lide ,,married ,him--,,tailpiece7 ,,her ,,hair ,the beauty of her hair bewilders me-- ,pouring adown the brow1 its cloven tide ,swirling about the ears on either side ,and storming around the neck tumultuously3 ,or like the lights of old antiquity ,through mullioned windows1 in cathedrals wide1 ,spilled moltenly o'er figures deified ,in chastest marble1 nude of drapery4 ,and so ,i love it4--,either unconfined2 ,or plaited in close braidings manifold2 ,or smoothly drawn2 or indolently twined ,in careless knots whose coilings come unrolled ,at any lightest kiss2 or by the wind ,whipped out in flossy ravelings of gold4 ,illustration3 7,,her ,,hair7 ,illustration3 7,,last ,,night ,,and ,,this--,,title7 ,,last ,,night--,,and ,,this ,last night--how deep the darkness was6 ,and well ,i knew its depths1 because ,i waded it from shore to shore1 ,thinking to reach the light no more4 ,she would not even touch my hand4-- ,the winds rose and the cedars fanned ,the moon out1 and the stars fled back ,in heaven and hid--and all was black6 ,but ah6 ,to-night a summons came1 ,signed with a teardrop for a name1-- ,for as ,i wondering kissed it1 lo1 ,a line beneath it told me so4 ,and now the moon hangs over me ,a disk of dazzling brilliancy1 ,and every star-tip stabs my sight ,with splintered glitterings of light6 ,illustration3 7,,last ,,night ,,and ,,this--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,a ,,discouraging ,,model--,,title7 ,a ,,discouraging ,,model ,just the airiest1 fairiest slip of a thing1 ,with a ,gainsborough hat1 like a butterfly's wing1 ,tilted up at one side with the jauntiest air1 ,and a knot of red roses sown in under there ,where the shadows are lost in her hair4 ,then a cameo face1 carven in on a ground ,of that shadowy hair where the roses are wound2 ,and the gleam of a smile ,o as fair and as faint ,and as sweet as the masters of old used to paint ,round the lips of their favorite saint6 ,and that lace at her throat--and the fluttering hands ,snowing there1 with a grace that no art understands ,the flakes of their touches--first fluttering at ,the bow--then the roses--the hair--and then that ,little tilt of the ,gainsborough hat4 ,what artist on earth1 with a model like this1 ,holding not on his palette the tint of a kiss1 ,nor a pigment to hint of the hue of her hair1 ,nor the gold of her smile--,o what artist could dare ,to expect a result half so fair8 ,illustration3 7,a ,,cameo ,,face7 ,,suspense ,a woman's figure1 on a ground of night ,inlaid with sallow stars that dimly stare ,down in the lonesome eyes1 uplifted there ,as in vague hope some alien lance of light ,might pierce their woe4 ,the tears that blind her sight-- ,the salt and bitter blood of her despair-- ,her hands toss back through torrents of her hair ,and grip toward ,god with anguish infinite4 ,and ,o the carven mouth1 with all its great ,intensity of longing frozen fast ,in such a smile as well may designate ,the slowly murdered heart1 that1 to the last ,conceals each newer wound1 and back at ,fate ,throbs ,love's eternal lie--,lo1 ,i can wait6 ,illustration3 7,,suspense7 ,illustration3 7,,tom ,,van ,,arden--,,title7 ,,tom ,,van ,,arden ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,our warm fellowship is one ,far too old to comprehend ,where its bond was first begun3 ,mirage-like before my gaze ,gleams a land of other days1 ,where two truant boys1 astray1 ,dream their lazy lives away4 ,there's a vision1 in the guise ,of ,midsummer1 where the ,past ,like a weary beggar lies ,in the shadow ,time has cast2 ,and as blends the bloom of trees ,with the drowsy hum of bees1 ,fragrant thoughts and murmurs blend1 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend4 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,all the pleasures we have known ,thrill me now as ,i extend ,this old hand and grasp your own-- ,feeling1 in the rude caress1 ,all affection's tenderness2 ,feeling1 though the touch be rough1 ,our old souls are soft enough4 ,so we'll make a mellow hour2 ,fill your pipe1 and taste the wine-- ,warp your face1 if it be sour1 ,i can spare a smile from mine2 ,if it sharpen up your wit1 ,let me feel the edge of it-- ,i have eager ears to lend1 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend4 ,illustration3 7,,tom ,,van ,,arden7 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,are we lucky dogs1 indeed8 ,are we all that we pretend ,in the jolly life we lead8-- ,bachelors1 we must confess ,boast of single blessedness ,to the world1 but not alone-- ,man's best sorrow is his own4 ,and the saddest truth is this1-- ,life to us has never proved ,what we tasted in the kiss ,of the women we have loved3 ,vainly we congratulate ,our escape from such a fate ,as their lying lips could send1 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend6 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,hearts1 like fruit upon the stem1 ,ripen sweetest1 ,i contend1 ,as the frost falls over them3 ,your regard for me to-day ,makes ,november taste of ,may1 ,and through every vein of rhyme ,pours the blood of summertime4 ,when our souls are cramped with youth ,happiness seems far away ,in the future1 while1 in truth1 ,we looked back on it to-day ,through our tears1 nor dare to boast1-- ,better to have loved and lost6 ,broken hearts are hard to mend1 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend4 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,i grow prosy1 and you tire2 ,fill the glasses while ,i bend ,to prod up the failing fire4444 ,you are restless3--,i presume ,there's a dampness in the room4-- ,much of warmth our nature begs1 ,with rheumatics in our legs6444 ,humph6 the legs we used to fling ,limber-jointed in the dance1 ,when we heard the fiddle ring ,up the curtain of ,romance1 ,and in crowded public halls ,played with hearts like jugglers'-balls4-- ,feats of mountebanks1 depend6-- ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend4 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend1 ,pardon1 then1 this theme of mine3 ,while the fire-light leaps to lend ,higher color to the wine1-- ,i propose a health to those ,who have homes1 and home's repose1 ,wife and child-love without end6 444 ,tom ,van ,arden1 my old friend4 ,illustration3 7,,to ,,hear ,,her ,,sing7 ,,to ,,hear ,,her ,,sing ,to hear her sing--to hear her sing-- ,it is to hear the birds of ,spring ,in dewy groves on blooming sprays ,pour out their blithest roundelays4 ,it is to hear the robin trill ,at morning1 or the whippoorwill ,at dusk1 when stars are blossoming ,to hear her sing--to hear her sing6 ,to hear her sing--it is to hear ,the laugh of childhood ringing clear ,in woody path or grassy lane ,our feet may never fare again4 ,faint1 far away as ,memory dwells1 ,it is to hear the village bells ,at twilight1 as the truant hears ,them1 hastening home1 with smiles and tears4 ,such joy it is to hear her sing1 ,we fall in love with everything-- ,the simple things of every day ,grow lovelier than words can say4 ,the idle brooks that purl across ,the gleaming pebbles and the moss1 ,we love no less than classic streams-- ,the ,rhines and ,arnos of our dreams4 ,to hear her sing--with folded eyes1 ,it is1 beneath ,venetian skies1 ,to hear the gondoliers' refrain1 ,or troubadours of sunny ,spain4-- ,to hear the bulbul's voice that shook ,the throat that trilled for ,lalla ,rookh3 ,what wonder we in homage bring ,our hearts to her--to hear her sing6 ,,the ,,rival ,i so loved once1 when ,death came by ,i hid ,away my face1 ,and all my sweetheart's tresses she undid ,to make my hiding-place4 ,the dread shade passed me thus unheeding2 and ,i turned me then ,to calm my love--kiss down her shielding hand ,and comfort her again4 ,and lo6 she answered not3 ,and she did sit ,all fixedly1 ,with her fair face and the sweet smile of it1 ,in love with ,death1 not me4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,rival7 ,illustration3 7,a ,,variation--,,title7 ,a ,,variation ,i am tired of this6 ,nothing else but loving6 ,nothing else but kiss and kiss1 ,coo1 and turtle-doving6 ,can't you change the order some8 ,hate me just a little--come6 ,lay aside your dears1 ,darlings1 kings1 and princes6-- ,call me knave1 and dry your tears-- ,nothing in me winces1-- ,call me something low and base-- ,something that will suit the case6 ,wish ,i had your eyes ,and their drooping lashes6 ,i would dry their teary lies ,up with lightning-flashes-- ,make your sobbing lips unsheathe ,all the glitter of your teeth6 ,can't you lift one word-- ,with some pang of laughter-- ,louder than the drowsy bird ,crooning 'neath the rafter8 ,just one bitter word1 to shriek ,madly at me as ,i speak6 ,how ,i hate the fair ,beauty of your forehead6 ,how ,i hate your fragrant hair6 ,how ,i hate the torrid ,touches of your splendid lips1 ,and the kiss that drips and drips6 ,ah1 you pale at last6 ,and your face is lifted ,like a white sail to the blast1 ,and your hands are shifted ,into fists3 and1 towering thus1 ,you are simply glorious6 ,now before me looms ,something more than human2 ,something more than beauty blooms ,in the wrath of ,woman-- ,something to bow down before ,reverently and adore4 ,illustration3 7,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land8--,,title7 ,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land8 ,where shall we land you1 sweet8--,swinburne4 ,all listlessly we float ,out seaward in the boat ,that beareth ,love4 ,our sails of purest snow ,bend to the blue below ,and to the blue above4 ,where shall we land8 ,we drift upon a tide ,shoreless on every side1 ,save where the eye ,of ,fancy sweeps far lands ,shelved slopingly with sands ,of gold and porphyry4 ,where shall we land8 ,the fairy isles we see1 ,loom up so mistily-- ,so vaguely fair1 ,we do not care to break ,fresh bubbles in our wake ,to bend our course for there4 ,where shall we land8 ,the warm winds of the deep ,have lulled our sails to sleep1 ,and so we glide ,careless of wave or wind1 ,or change of any kind1 ,or turn of any tide4 ,where shall we land8 ,we droop our dreamy eyes ,where our reflection lies ,steeped in the sea1 ,and1 in an endless fit ,of languor1 smile on it ,and its sweet mimicry4 ,where shall we land8 ,where shall we land8 ,god's grace6 ,i know not any place ,so fair as this-- ,swung here between the blue ,of sea and sky1 with you ,to ask me1 with a kiss1 ,where shall we land8 ,illustration3 7,,where ,,shall ,,we ,,land8--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands--,,title7 ,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands ,the touches of her hands are like the fall ,of velvet snowflakes2 like the touch of down ,the peach just brushes 'gainst the garden wall2 ,the flossy fondlings of the thistle-wisp ,caught in the crinkle of a leaf of brown ,the blighting frost hath turned from green to crisp4 ,soft as the falling of the dusk at night1 ,the touches of her hands1 and the delight-- ,the touches of her hands6 ,the touches of her hands are like the dew ,that falls so softly down no one e'er knew ,the touch thereof save lovers like to one ,astray in lights where ranged ,endymion4 ,o rarely soft1 the touches of her hands1 ,as drowsy zephyrs in enchanted lands2 ,or pulse of dying fay2 or fairy sighs2 ,or--in between the midnight and the dawn1 ,when long unrest and tears and fears are gone-- ,sleep1 smoothing down the lids of weary eyes4 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,o ,,rarely ,,soft1 ,,the ,,touches ,,of ,,her ,,hands7 ,a ,,song ,,of ,,long ,,ago ,a song of ,long ,ago3 ,sing it lightly--sing it low-- ,sing it softly--like the lisping of the lips we used to know ,when our baby-laughter spilled ,from the glad hearts ever filled ,with music blithe as robin ever trilled6 ,let the fragrant summer-breeze1 ,and the leaves of locust-trees1 ,and the apple-buds and blossoms1 and the wings of honey-bees1 ,all palpitate with glee1 ,till the happy harmony ,brings back each childish joy to you and me4 ,let the eyes of fancy turn ,where the tumbled pippins burn ,like embers in the orchard's lap of tangled grass and fern1-- ,there let the old path wind ,in and out and on behind ,the cider-press that chuckles as we grind4 ,illustration3 7,a ,,song ,,of ,,long ,,ago7 ,blend in the song the moan ,of the dove that grieves alone1 ,and the wild whir of the locust1 and the bumble's drowsy drone2 ,and the low of cows that call ,through the pasture-bars when all ,the landscape fades away at evenfall4 ,then1 far away and clear1 ,through the dusky atmosphere1 ,let the wailing of the kildee be the only sound we hear3 ,o sad and sweet and low ,as the memory may know ,is the glad-pathetic song of ,long ,ago6 ,,when ,,age ,,comes ,,on ,when ,age comes on6-- ,the deepening dusk is where the dawn ,once glittered splendid1 and the dew ,in honey-drips1 from red rose-lips ,was kissed away by me and you4-- ,and now across the frosty lawn ,black foot-prints trail1 and ,age comes on-- ,and ,age comes on6 ,and biting wild-winds whistle through ,our tattered hopes--and ,age comes on6 ,when ,age comes on6-- ,o tide of raptures1 long withdrawn1 ,flow back in summer-floods1 and fling ,here at our feet our childhood sweet1 ,and all the songs we used to sing6444 ,old loves1 old friends--all dead and gone-- ,our old faith lost--and ,age comes on-- ,and ,age comes on6 ,poor hearts6 have we not anything ,but longings left when ,age comes on6 ,illustration3 7,,when ,,age ,,comes ,,on7 ,illustration3 7,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor--,,title7 ,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor ,it's a mystery to see me--a man o' fifty-four1 ,who's lived a cross old bachelor fer thirty year' and more-- ,a-lookin' glad and smilin'6 ,and they's none o' you can say ,that you can guess the reason why ,i feel so good to-day6 ,i must tell you all about it6 ,but ,i'll have to deviate ,a little in beginnin'1 so's to set the matter straight ,as to how it comes to happen that ,i never took a wife-- ,kind o' crawfish from the ,present to the ,springtime of my life6 ,i was brought up in the country3 ,of a family of five-- ,three brothers and a sister--,i'm the only one alive1-- ,fer they all died little babies2 and 'twas one o' ,mother's ways1 ,you know1 to want a daughter2 so she took a girl to raise4 ,the sweetest little thing she was1 with rosy cheeks1 and fat-- ,we was little chunks o' shavers then about as high as that6 ,but someway we sort o' suited-like6 and ,mother she'd declare ,she never laid her eyes on a more lovin' pair ,than we was6 ,so we growed up side by side fer thirteen year'1 ,and every hour of it she growed to me more dear6-- ,w'y1 even ,father's dyin'1 as he did1 ,i do believe ,warn't more affectin' to me than it was to see her grieve6 ,i was then a lad o' twenty2 and ,i felt a flash o' pride ,in thinkin' all depended on me now to pervide ,fer ,mother and fer ,mary2 and ,i went about the place ,with sleeves rolled up--and workin'1 with a mighty smilin' face4-- ,fer sompin' else was workin'6 but not a word ,i said ,of a certain sort o' notion that was runnin' through my head1-- ,someday ,i'd mayby marry1 and a brother's love was one ,thing--a lover's was another6 was the way the notion run6 ,i remember onc't in harvest1 when the cradle-in' was done-- ,when the harvest of my summers mounted up to twenty-one ,i was ridin' home with ,mary at the closin' o' the day-- ,a-chawin' straws and thinkin'1 in a lover's lazy way6 ,and ,mary's cheeks was burnin' like the sunset down the lane3 ,i noticed she was thinkin'1 too1 and ast her to explain4 ,well--when she turned and kissed me1 with her arms around me--law6 ,i'd a bigger load o' heaven than ,i had a load o' straw6 ,i don't p'tend to learnin'1 but ,i'll tell you what's a fact1 ,they's a mighty truthful sayin' somers in a' almanack-- ,er somers--'bout puore happiness--perhaps some folks'll laugh ,at the idy--only lastin' jest two seconds and a half4-- ,but it's jest as true as preachin'6--fer that was a sister's kiss1 ,and a sister's lovin' confidence a-tellin' to me this3-- ,she was happy1 bein' promised to the son o' farmer ,brown4-- ,and my feelin's struck a pardnership with sunset and went down6 ,i don't know how ,i acted--,i don't know what ,i said1 ,fer my heart seemed jest a-turnin' to an ice-cold lump o' lead2 ,and the hosses kindo' glimmered before me in the road4 ,and the lines fell from my fingers--and that was all ,i knowed-- ,fer--well1 ,i don't know how long--,they's a dim rememberence ,of a sound o' snortin' hosses1 and a stake-and-ridered fence ,a-whizzin' past1 and wheat-sheaves a-dancin' in the air1 ,and ,mary screamin' ,murder6 and a-runnin' up to where ,illustration3 7,,ridin' ,,home ,,with ,,mary7 ,i was layin' by the roadside1 and the wagon upside down ,a-leanin' on the gate-post1 with the wheels a whirlin' round6 ,and ,i tried to raise and meet her1 but ,i couldn't1 with a vague ,sorto' notion comin' to me that ,i had a broken leg4 ,well1 the women nussed me through it2 but many a time ,i'd sigh ,as ,i'd keep a-gittin' better instid o' goin' to die1 ,and wonder what was left me worth livin' fer below1 ,when the girl ,i loved was married to another1 don't you know6 ,and my thoughts was as rebellious as the folks was good and kind ,when ,brown and ,mary married--,railly must a-been my mind ,was kindo' out o' kilter6--fer ,i hated ,brown1 you see1 ,worse'n pizen--and the feller whittled crutches out fer me-- ,and done a thousand little ac's o' kindness and respect-- ,and me a-wishin' all the time that ,i could break his neck6 ,my relief was like a mourner's when the funeral is done ,when they moved to ,illinois in the ,fall o' ,forty-one4 ,then ,i went to work in airnest--,i had nothin' much in view ,but to drown'd out rickollections--and it kep' me busy1 too6 ,but ,i slowly thrived and prospered1 tel ,mother used to say ,she expected yit to see me a wealthy man some day4 ,then ,i'd think how little money was1 compared to happiness-- ,and who'd be left to use it when ,i died ,i couldn't guess6 ,but ,i've still kep' speculatin' and a-gainin' year by year1 ,tel ,i'm pay-in' half the taxes in the county1 mighty near6 ,well6--,a year ago er better1 a letter comes to hand ,astin' how ,i'd like to dicker fer some ,illinois land-- ,the feller that had owned it1 it went ahead to state1 ,had jest deceased1 insolvent1 leavin' chance to speculate1-- ,and then it closed by sayin' that ,i'd better come and see4-- ,i'd never been ,west1 anyhow--a most too wild fer me ,i'd allus had a notion2 but a lawyer here in town ,said ,i'd find myself mistakened when ,i come to look around4 ,so ,i bids good-bye to ,mother1 and ,i jumps aboard the train1 ,a-thinkin' what ,i'd bring her when ,i come back home again-- ,and ef she'd had an idy what the present was to be1 ,i think it's more'n likely she'd a-went along with me6 ,cars is awful tejus ridin'1 fer all they go so fast6 ,but finally they called out my stoppin'-place at last2 ,and that night1 at the tavern1 ,i dreamp' ,i was a train ,o' cars1 and skeered at sompin'1 runnin' down a country lane6 ,well1 in the mornin' airly--after huntin' up the man-- ,the lawyer who was wantin' to swap the piece o' land-- ,we started fer the country2 and ,i ast the history ,of the farm--its former owner--and so-forth1 etcetery6 ,and--well--it was interestin'--,i su-prised him1 ,i suppose1 ,by the loud and frequent manner in which ,i blowed my nose6-- ,but his su-prise was greater1 and it made him wonder more1 ,when ,i kissed and hugged the widder when she met us at the door6-- ,it was ,mary3 ,they's a feelin' a-hidin' down in here-- ,of course ,i can't explain it1 ner ever make it clear4-- ,it was with us in that meetin'1 ,i don't want you to fergit6 ,and it makes me kind o' nervous when ,i think about it yit6 ,i bought that farm1 and deeded it1 afore ,i left the town1 ,with title clear to mansions in the skies1 to ,mary ,brown6 ,and fu'thermore1 ,i took her and the childern--fer1 you see1 ,they'd never seed their ,grandma--and ,i fetched 'em home with me4 ,so now you've got an idy why a man o' fifty-four1 ,who's lived a cross old bachelor fer thirty year' and more1 ,is a-lookin' glad and smilin'6--,and ,i've jest come into town ,to git a pair o' license fer to marry ,mary ,brown4 ,illustration3 7,,farmer ,,whipple--,,bachelor--,,tailpiece7 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,rose--,,title7 ,,the ,,rose ,it tossed its head at the wooing breeze2 ,and the sun1 like a bashful swain1 ,beamed on it through the waving trees ,with a passion all in vain1-- ,for my rose laughed in a crimson glee1 ,and hid in the leaves in wait for me4 ,the honey-bee came there to sing ,his love through the languid hours1 ,and vaunt of his hives1 as a proud old king ,might boast of his palace-towers3 ,but my rose bowed in a mockery1 ,and hid in the leaves in wait for me4 ,the humming-bird1 like a courtier gay1 ,dipped down with a dalliant song1 ,and twanged his wings through the roundelay ,of love the whole day long3 ,yet my rose turned from his minstrelsy ,and hid in the leaves in wait for me4 ,the firefly came in the twilight dim ,my red1 red rose to woo-- ,till quenched was the flame of love in him ,and the light of his lantern too1 ,as my rose wept with dewdrops three ,and hid in the leaves in wait for me4 ,and ,i said3 ,i will cull my own sweet rose-- ,some day ,i will claim as mine ,the priceless worth of the flower that knows ,no change1 but a bloom divine-- ,the bloom of a fadeless constancy ,that hides in the leaves in wait for me6 ,but time passed by in a strange disguise1 ,and ,i marked it not1 but lay ,in a lazy dream1 with drowsy eyes1 ,till the summer slipped away1 ,and a chill wind sang in a minor key3 ,where is the rose that waits for thee8 99 99 99 99 99 ,i dream to-day1 o'er a purple stain ,of bloom on a withered stalk1 ,pelted down by the autumn rain ,in the dust of the garden-walk1 ,that an ,angel-rose in the world to be ,will hide in the leaves in wait for me4 ,,has ,,she ,,forgotten8 ,i ,has she forgotten8 ,on this very ,may ,we were to meet here1 with the birds and bees1 ,as on that ,sabbath1 underneath the trees ,we strayed among the tombs1 and stripped away ,the vines from these old granites1 cold and gray-- ,and yet indeed not grim enough were they ,to stay our kisses1 smiles and ecstasies1 ,or closer voice-lost vows and rhapsodies4 ,has she forgotten--that the ,may has won ,its promise8--that the bird-songs from the tree ,are sprayed above the grasses as the sun ,might jar the dazzling dew down showeringly8 ,has she forgotten life--love--everyone-- ,has she forgotten me--forgotten me8 ,,ii ,low1 low down in the violets ,i press ,my lips and whisper to her4 ,does she hear1 ,and yet hold silence1 though ,i call her dear1 ,just as of old1 save for the tearfulness ,of the clenched eyes1 and the soul's vast distress8 ,has she forgotten thus the old caress ,that made our breath a quickened atmosphere ,that failed nigh unto swooning with the sheer ,delight8 ,mine arms clutch now this earthen heap ,sodden with tears that flow on ceaselessly ,as autumn rains the long1 long1 long nights weep ,in memory of days that used to be1-- ,has she forgotten these8 ,and in her sleep1 ,has she forgotten me--forgotten me8 ,,iii ,to-night1 against my pillow1 with shut eyes1 ,i mean to weld our faces--through the dense ,incalculable darkness make pretense ,that she has risen from her reveries ,to mate her dreams with mine in marriages ,of mellow palms1 smooth faces1 and tense ease ,of every longing nerve of indolence1-- ,lift from the grave her quiet lips1 and stun ,my senses with her kisses--drawl the glee ,of her glad mouth1 full blithe and tenderly1 ,across mine own1 forgetful if is done ,the old love's awful dawn-time when said we1 ,to-day is ours6444 ,ah1 ,heaven6 can it be ,she has forgotten me--forgotten me6 ,illustration3 7,,has ,,she ,,forgotten87 ,illustration3 7,,blooms ,,of ,,may--,,title7 ,,blooms ,,of ,,may ,but yesterday6444 ,o blooms of ,may1 ,and summer roses--,where-away8 ,o stars above1 ,and lips of love ,and all the honeyed sweets thereof6 ,illustration3 7,o ,,lad ,,and ,,lass7 ,o lad and lass ,and orchard-pass1 ,and briered lane1 and daisied grass6 ,o gleam and gloom1 ,and woodland bloom1 ,and breezy breaths of all perfume6-- ,no more for me ,or mine shall be ,thy raptures--save in memory1-- ,no more--no more-- ,till through the ,door ,of ,glory gleam the days of yore4 ,illustration3 7,o ,,gleam ,,and ,,gloom ,,and ,,woodland ,,bloom7 ,,the ,,sermon ,,of ,,the ,,rose ,wilful we are in our infirmity ,of childish questioning and discontent4 ,whate'er befalls us is divinely meant-- ,thou ,truth the clearer for thy mystery6 ,make us to meet what is or is to be ,with fervid welcome1 knowing it is sent ,to serve us in some way full excellent1 ,though we discern it all belatedly4 ,the rose buds1 and the rose blooms and the rose ,bows in the dews1 and in its fulness1 lo1 ,is in the lover's hand1--then on the breast ,of her he loves1--and there dies4--,and who knows ,which fate of all a rose may undergo ,is fairest1 dearest1 sweetest1 loveliest8 ,nay1 we are children3 we will not mature4 ,a blessed gift must seem a theft2 and tears ,must storm our eyes when but a joy appears ,in drear disguise of sorrow2 and how poor ,we seem when we are richest1--most secure ,against all poverty the lifelong years ,we yet must waste in childish doubts and fears ,that1 in despite of reason1 still endure6 ,alas6 the sermon of the rose we will ,not wisely ponder2 nor the sobs of grief ,lulled into sighs of rapture2 nor the cry ,of fierce defiance that again is still4 ,be patient--patient with our frail belief1 ,and stay it yet a little ere we die4 ,o opulent life of ours1 though dispossessed ,of treasure after treasure6 ,youth most fair ,went first1 but left its priceless coil of hair-- ,moaned over sleepless nights1 kissed and caressed ,through drip and blur of tears the tenderest4 ,and next went ,love--the ripe rose glowing there ,her very sister6444 ,it is here2 but where ,is she1 of all the world the first and best8 ,and yet how sweet the sweet earth after rain-- ,how sweet the sunlight on the garden wall ,across the roses--and how sweetly flows ,the limpid yodel of the brook again6 ,and yet--and yet how sweeter after all1 ,the smouldering sweetness of a dead red rose6 ,illustration3 7,,the ,,sermon ,,of ,,the ,,rose7