University of Virginia Library

Oh stern, yet lovely monitress!
Thine eye should be of colder hue,
And on thy neck a paler tress
Should toy among those veins of blue!
For thou art to thy mission true —
An angel clad in human guise —
But sinners sometimes have such eyes,
And braid for love such tresses too;
And, while thou talkst to me of heaven,
I sigh that thou hast not a sin to be forgiven!
Night comes, with love upon the breeze,
And the calm clock strikes, stilly, “ten.”
I start to hear it beat, for then
I know that thou art on thy knees —
And, at that hour, where'er thou be,
Ascends to heaven a prayer for me!
My heart drops to its bended knee —
The mirth upon my lip is dumb —
Yet, as a thought of heaven would come,
There glides, before it, one of thee —
Thou, in thy white dress, kneeling there! —
I fear I could leave heaven to see thee at thy prayer!
I follow up the sacred aisle,
Thy light step on the Sabbath day,
And — as perhaps thou pray'st the while —
My light thoughts pass away!
As swells in air the holy hymn,
My breath comes thick, my eyes are dim,
And through my tears I pray!
I do not think my heart is stone —
But, while for heaven it beats alone —
In heaven would willing stay —
One rustle of thy snow-white gown
Sends all my thoughts astray!
The preaching dies upon my ear —
What “is the better world” when thy dark eyes are here!
Yet pray! my years have been but few —
And many a wile the tempter weaves,
And many a saint the sinner grieves
Ere Mercy brings him through!
But oh, when Mercy sits serene
And strives to bend to me,
Pray, that the cloud which comes between
May less resemble thee!
The world that would my soul beguile
Teints all its roses with thy smile!
In heaven 'twere well to be!
But — to desire that blessed shore —
Oh lady! thy dark eyes must first have gone before!