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. |
MORE POEMS BY MARY ELIZABETH BLAKE |
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