| Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Complete Poetical Works. 1893. | | | | Translations | From the French.
Will ever the dear days come back again? |
| | | WILL ever the dear days come back again, | |
| Those days of June, when lilacs were in bloom, | |
| And bluebirds sang their sonnets in the gloom | |
| Of leaves that roofed them in from sun or rain? | |
| I know not; but a presence will remain | 5 |
| Forever and forever in this room, | |
| Formless, diffused in air; like a perfume,— | |
| A phantom of the heart, and not the brain. | |
| Delicious days! when every spoken word | |
| Was like a footfall nearer and more near, | 10 |
| And a mysterious knocking at the gate | |
| Of the heart’s secret places, and we heard | |
| In the sweet tumult of delight and fear | |
| A voice that whispered, “Open, I cannot wait!” | | | | |
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