TO ONE IN ABSENCE

by: Mary Elizabeth Blake (1840-1907)

      HEN twilight deepens in the darkling skies,
      And fair along the azure fields of heaven
      The bending stars shine out, like blossoms given
      To gem the garden paths of paradise;

      When the sweet silence of the summer night
      Lifts our tired thought to regions of the blest,
      To dreams of God and love and quiet rest,
      To glimpses full of peace and pure delight--

      Then with all dearest fancies fair and fond,
      My heart uplifts thee, O thou more than friend!
      Near or remote, thy presence comes to blend
      My best of earth with all my best beyond!
      * * *
      When dawn uplifts the curtains of the East,
      And glancing out, the shining eyes of Morn
      Look down with rapture on a world new-born,
      Fair as a bride who seeks her marriage feast;

      When the full chimes of life ring out anew;
      And fresh with strength untried, and strong with prayers,
      We lift the burden of our daily cares,
      And smile to find the number grown so few--

      Then, with all dearest duties that have birth
      In quiet lives that know not blame nor praise,
      Thy memory lives throughout my tranquil days,
      And brings heaven nearer to the paths of earth!

"To One in Absence" is reprinted from Poems. Mary Elizabeth Blake. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891.

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