THE BOARD IS FULL.
I
The board is full, we look upon
No vacant chair to-night;
Though years have passed since last we met,
For once we'll scorn their flight.
We'll laugh, and be as light of heart
As if old time stood still,
Between our cheerless parting cup,
And that which now we fill.
II
The call is vain! I miss the smile
That made the wine cup sweet;
When friends are parted, who shall say,
Thus smilingly we'll meet?
What trace we in the retrospect
Of years, however brief?
The fading of the summer flower!
The falling of the leaf!
