Betwixt Two Seas :: :: University of Virginia Library

“I shall compass one day what I mean to achieve;
My house shall be garnished, my table spread,
And this medley of dreams that I daily weave
Shall be all disentangled thread by thread,

“This will have to be painted and that repair'd,
And this other re-fashion'd, in other wise;—
This plough'd and replanted, that fell'd and bared,
And this match'd to that other in form and size,

“I must build up that wall, too, and sink me a well
Whose water shall be as the crystal clear,
And create me a home where content shall dwell
As my days are accomplished year by year.

“I would scorn to wed either for lands or for gold,
So shall only mate at mine own free will
With one that I seek for, to have and hold
In health and in sickness, thro' good and ill,

“Thus courage and virtue they should not lack,
The sons and the daughters that bear my name,
And they never need turn from the beaten track,
Into hidden byways of sin and shame.

“But I now have no leisure for thought or for quest,—
I must wait till this pressure of days is o'er;—
And after it all I shall take my rest.” . . .
Beware that thou takest it not before!