 | Last poems including Afterglow and Beyond the sunset |  |
128
TO A LATE-COMER
(W. P. S.)
Why didst thou come into my life so late?If it were morning I could welcome thee
With glad all-hails, and bid each hour to be
The willing servitor of thine estate,
Lading thy brave ships with Time's richest freight.
If it were noonday I might hope to see
On some far height thy banners floating free,
And hear the acclaiming voices call thee great!
But it is nightfall and the stars are out;
Far in the west the crescent moon hangs low,
And near at hand the lurking shadows wait;
Darkness and silence gather round about,
Lethe's black stream is near its overflow,—
Ah, friend, dear friend, why didst thou come so late?
| Last poems including Afterglow and Beyond the sunset | |