In Cornwall and Across the Sea With Poems Written in Devonshire. By Douglas B. W. Sladen |
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THE TWO SPIRITS.
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 | In Cornwall and Across the Sea |  |
232
THE TWO SPIRITS.
[Or, Optimist and Pessimist.]
Two spirits, one of Hope and one of Care,
Flew 'neath the self-same roof;
One's garment was of black and chill night air,
The other's of sun-woof.
Flew 'neath the self-same roof;
One's garment was of black and chill night air,
The other's of sun-woof.
One brought the warmth and light into the room
Upon the bleakest days;
The other threw a shade of chill and gloom
Athwart the sun's own rays.
Upon the bleakest days;
The other threw a shade of chill and gloom
Athwart the sun's own rays.
The spirits, she of Care and he of Hope,
Loved one another well,
Although no reader of the horoscope
Dared such a love foretell.
Loved one another well,
Although no reader of the horoscope
Dared such a love foretell.
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They clung but did not blend: the robe of dun
Upon the back of Care
Could not be patch-worked with the woven sun,
Which he of Hope must wear.
Upon the back of Care
Could not be patch-worked with the woven sun,
Which he of Hope must wear.
Now it was night; and then the star of pain
The joyous sun outshone:
Now it was day; and in the light again
The evil star had gone.
The joyous sun outshone:
Now it was day; and in the light again
The evil star had gone.
In some soft twilight in the latter days
May this strange pair be dight,
Without the dazzle of the sun-robe's rays,
Nor yet as dark as night.
May this strange pair be dight,
Without the dazzle of the sun-robe's rays,
Nor yet as dark as night.
| In Cornwall and Across the Sea | |