And men and women bore their part Heart to heart, For oh! the women and the men Loved then; And love from love you could not break, Half to save; If one sinned, for the other’s sake God forgave.
Would thou wert yet, thou great and old Time of gold! Wert thou with me, or could I flee Back to thee, God might have had one other flower Nigh to fall, And I known love at least one hour --Once for all.
O who shall have the barren years? Who the tears? One with false bosom and cold kiss May have this: But somewhere, unless love forget His old way, There shall be something better yet --Ay, some day.
Think, O Heart, what sweet--had you waited A moment, on such a day-- Had yet been to do or to say That shall never be said now or done!
Think what beautiful worlds uncreated The clouds then bore back to the sun; What blisses were all frustrated; What loves, that were almost begun!
Think, O Life,--had your stream but drifted To this or that holier Past, Or Future that must come at last-- Think, O sorrowful Life, and repent--
How the sorrowful days had been gifted With solace and ravishment, And year after year slowly lifted To heavens of golden content!
On the great day of my life-- On the memorable day-- Just as the long inward strife Of the echoes died away, Just as on my couch I lay Thinking thought away; Came a Man into my room, Bringing with him gloom.
Midnight stood upon the clock, And the street sound ceased to rise; Suddenly, and with no knock, Came that Man before my eyes: Yet he seemed not anywise My heart to surprise, And he sat down to abide At my fireside.
But he stirred within my heart Memories of the ancient days; And strange visions seemed to start Vividly before my gaze, Yea, from the most distant haze Of forgotten ways: And he looked on me the while With a most strange smile.
But my heart seemed well to know That his face the semblance had Of my own face long ago Ere the years had made it sad, When my youthful looks were clad In a smile half glad; To my heart he seemed in truth All my vanished youth.
Then he named me by a name Long since unfamiliar grown, But remembered for the same That my childhood’s ears had known; And his voice was like my own In a sadder tone Coming from the happy years Choked, alas, with tears.