 | The writings of James Russell Lowell |  |
I.
TO A. C. L.
Through suffering and sorrow thou hast passedTo show us what a woman true may be:
They have not taken sympathy from thee,
Nor made thee any other than thou wast,
Save as some tree, which, in a sudden blast,
Sheddeth those blossoms, that are weakly grown,
Upon the air, but keepeth every one
Whose strength gives warrant of good fruit at last:
So thou hast shed some blooms of gayety,
But never one of steadfast cheerfulness;
Nor hath thy knowledge of adversity
Robbed thee of any faith in happiness,
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How many simple ways there are to bless.
| The writings of James Russell Lowell | |