| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895. |
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| A Petition to Time |
| | | Barry Cornwall (1787–1874) |
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| TOUCH us gently, Time! | |
| Let us glide adown thy stream | |
| Gently,—as we sometimes glide | |
| Through a quiet dream. | |
| Humble voyagers are We, | 5 |
| Husband, wife, and children three— | |
| (One is lost,—an angel, fled | |
| To the azure overhead.) | |
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| Touch us gently, Time! | |
| We ’ve not proud nor soaring wings: | 10 |
| Our ambition, our content, | |
| Lies in simple things. | |
| Humble voyagers are We, | |
| O’er Life’s dim, unsounded sea, | |
| Seeking only some calm clime;— | 15 |
| Touch us gently, gentle Time! | |
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