| DEAREST, a look is but a ray | |
| Reflected in a certain way; | |
| A word, whatever tone it wear, | |
| Is but a trembling wave of air; | |
| A touch, obedience to a clause | 5 |
| In nature's pure material laws. | |
| |
| The very flowers that bend and meet, | |
| In sweetening others, grow more sweet; | |
| The clouds by day, the stars by night, | |
| Inweave their floating locks of light; | 10 |
| The rainbow, Heaven's own forehead's braid, | |
| Is but the embrace of sun and shade. | |
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| How few that love us have we found! | |
| How wide the world that girds them round! | |
| Like mountain streams we meet and part, | 15 |
| Each living in the other's heart, | |
| Our course unknown, our hope to be | |
| Yet mingled in the distant sea. | |
| |
| But Ocean coils and heaves in vain, | |
| Bound in the subtle moonbeam's chain; | 20 |
| And love and hope do but obey | |
| Some cold, capricious planet's ray, | |
| Which lights and leads the tide it charms | |
| To Death's dark caves and icy arms. | |
| |
| Alas! one narrow line is drawn, | 25 |
| That links our sunset with our dawn; | |
| In mist and shade life's morning rose, | |
| And clouds are round it at its close; | |
| But ah! no twilight beam ascends | |
| To whisper where that evening ends. | 30 |
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| Oh! in the hour when I shall feel | |
| Those shadows round my senses steal, | |
| When gentle eyes are weeping o'er | |
| The clay that feels their tears no more, | |
| Then let thy spirit with me be, | 35 |
| Or some sweet angel, likest thee! | |
