 | The Unknown Madonna and Other Poems |  |
39
TO G. L. G.
Less often now the rolling years
Will time our feet together,
And seldom now the old voice cheers
The march of wintry weather.
Will time our feet together,
And seldom now the old voice cheers
The march of wintry weather.
But friendship knit in other days,
When hope was first aspiring,
Will hardly quit the travelled ways
For fancy's new desiring.
When hope was first aspiring,
Will hardly quit the travelled ways
For fancy's new desiring.
Hope beckoned round the world, dear lad,
And light we followed after,
And knew the grave and loved the glad,
And shared men's tears and laughter.
And light we followed after,
And knew the grave and loved the glad,
And shared men's tears and laughter.
We set our young ideals high,
And if the aim out-soared us,
Still not to trust was not to try,
And something shall reward us:
And if the aim out-soared us,
Still not to trust was not to try,
And something shall reward us:
40
And what we found too hard to reach,
And what we failed in winning,
May wait us somewhere yet to teach
The end is the beginning.
And what we failed in winning,
May wait us somewhere yet to teach
The end is the beginning.
We made mistakes in youth, my lad,
But they will not out-live us,
The worst we did was none so bad—
The world may well forgive us!
But they will not out-live us,
The worst we did was none so bad—
The world may well forgive us!
Long be it ere we two depart!
Time make our friendship mellow!
I never loved a truer heart,
Nor wished a better fellow.
Time make our friendship mellow!
I never loved a truer heart,
Nor wished a better fellow.
| The Unknown Madonna and Other Poems | |