 | By Severn Sea and Other Poems |  |
33
TO J. C. S.
ENVOY TO A BIRTHDAY ODE
Dear Lady, take this little song,
Not over-wise though all too long;
As tiny straws flung up in air
May show what way strong winds do fare,
So little words ill-chosen and weak
The heart's deep voice may faintly speak.
Not over-wise though all too long;
As tiny straws flung up in air
May show what way strong winds do fare,
So little words ill-chosen and weak
The heart's deep voice may faintly speak.
Time was I found thy stately mien
As of a gracious distant queen;
Now drawing nearer to thy throne,
With growing years emboldened grown,
I fain take courage to record
The debt that all these years afford;
And though no words on any day
Nor any deeds can all repay,
Bid boyhood's chivalry find end
In the true service of a friend.
As of a gracious distant queen;
Now drawing nearer to thy throne,
With growing years emboldened grown,
I fain take courage to record
The debt that all these years afford;
And though no words on any day
Nor any deeds can all repay,
Bid boyhood's chivalry find end
In the true service of a friend.
Davos Platz,
26th August, 1884.
| By Severn Sea and Other Poems | |