 | Poems of early and after years |  |
306
TO ------ ------,
ON RECEIVING FROM HER A SPRAY OF LILIES OF THE VALLEY.
Small lily, that the careless overlook,Though, to the finder, sweeter than the rose—
Pure, unobtrusive, fragrant-hearted flower—
How truthful is its portraiture of thee!
I've known thee until now, as floats the mist
Over the valley, silently aware
That sweetness known in heaven lay hid near by;
But, as the same mist, heavy with the night,
Falls in a dark tear to the lily's cup,
And finds it sweetest at the darkest hour,
So, thou pure girl, thy tender presence only
Has an unconscious ministry to me,
And near thee, in the night that shrouds me still,
My darkness is forgotten.
| Poems of early and after years | |