'Shall I bring thee a pearl, to waste its ray And I'll welcome thee back to mine!' 55 I WILL EVER LOVE THEE. I WILL love thee, ever love thee, And round the fibres of my heart Sweet faith shall weave a spell; Whose charms shall bind my heart to thce I will love thee, ever love thee, As long as life shall last; And shield thee with the arms of love Though time's relentless hand should stamp I will love thee with a faith as pure, I will love thee, ever love thee, I will love thee, ever love thee, Its golden links, but I shall love, TO FRANCESCA. WELL did I read thine angel brow That childhood wove around thee, With which thy God had crowned thee. And fast I see the bud unfold With sunshine and with showers; And soon thou'lt be mid human bloom A rose mid humbler flowers. Yet not alone the queenly form Shall tell thy triumph's story; Thy thought shall shine abroad in heaven And joy 'twill be to look on thee, Now standing in life's portal, When thou hast reached the temple's crown, And won a wreath immortal. And if beyond the eternal gate, My place shall then be given, I'll wait with open heart and arm, To welcome thee to heaven. SONG OF A FORGOTTEN ONE. I HAVE loved, not so madly, so blindly, as thou: Though my bosom heaved wildly, and tears filled my eye, I ne'er doubted thy truth, for I felt that thy soul But I paused, for a fear of myself o'er me stole And that I should prove false to the words of my vow, Evermore when my thoughts wander back unto thee, A tear will well forth, but I bid it fall back, I have no tears to waste upon sorrow; O! I once would have wept in the far long ago, And now grief fills my soul, but my tears may not flow, I must e'en bear my sorrow demurely. I must feel, as I tread the world's deep maze alone, And that soon, when I sleep with my head 'neath a stone, I'LL LOVE NO MORE. 'I'LL love no more,'-I said, with quivering sigh; I'll love no more--why power give to those I'll love no more-this aching heart shall beat And acts of heartless meaning it will treat As with forgetful draughts from Lethe's shore. Thou'lt love no more-but canst thou break the spell, That years around that heart of thine have thrown? Will memory silent be within her cell, Nor torture give by many a sickly moan? Thou'lt love no more-can words alone efface Thou'lt love no more-poor, sad and doubting one, Has thy sick heart no spot to rest upon, Like the tired dove, no ark of refuge near? Is there no breast to shelter thee? nor one Kind hand to wipe the bitter blighting tear? Thou canst not help but love-for woman's lot Her fated destiny, though it is forgot; Thy love may bloom and brightest flowers bear still. The seeds of love we know on earth have birth; Its flowers may bloom, and shed sweet fragrance even; The fruit of love we see not on the earth, Maturity it hath alone in heaven. THOU ART AWAY. THE skies are fair, the moon beams bright, And fragrance fills the air; No cloud appears to dim the light, I tread the paths we often trod At evening's placid hour; I hear the strains thou lov'dst to hear, My echoing footsteps stay In unison with strain and flower, Thou art-thou art away! The sabbath's holy light appears, Away?-yes, thou art far away! Away?-yes, thou art far away! And beats in sweet accord with mine; Which neither time nor space can break, Which stronger grow each day, Though doomed to know the startling truth, And feel-thou art away! TO JEM. Down the sunlight shone and glimmered, On the bank we sat together, And we murmured love-words low, Listening to the measured music Of the streamer's ceaseless flow. Through the opening 'mid the branches, Gleamed and sparkled on your hair. |