| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | IV. Consumption | | By William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878) |
| | | AY, thou art for the grave; thy glances shine | |
| Too brightly to shine long; another Spring | |
| Shall deck her for men’s eyes, but not for thine— | |
| Sealed in a sleep that knows no wakening. | |
| The fields for thee have no medicinal leaf, | 5 |
| And the vexed ore no mineral of power; | |
| And they who love thee wait in anxious grief | |
| Till the slow plague shall bring the fatal hour. | |
| Glide softly to thy rest, then. Death should come | |
| Gently to one of gentle mould like thee, | 10 |
| As light winds wandering through groves of bloom | |
| Detach the delicate blossom from the tree. | |
| Close thy sweet eyes, calmly, and without pain; | |
| And we will trust in God to see thee yet again. | | | | |
|
|
