 | Underglimpses (1857) |  |
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TO MARY, FOURTEEN MONTHS OLD.
I.
Little darling daughter mine,Wilt thou be my Valentine?
Wilt thou give to me a part
Of thy little fluttering heart?
Give thy laughter without words,
Musical as song of birds—
Give thy twinkling fingers' play
And thine every sportive way,
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And the witchery of thine eyes,
Give the bounding of thy feet,
And thy liberal kisses sweet—
Give thy nods and mute commands,
And the clapping of thy hands—
Give thy rapture and good-will,
When upon the window-sill
For the expected feast of crumbs
Every morn the redbreast comes—
Canst thou these to me resign?—
Wilt thou be my Valentine?—
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II.
Darling, thy mother sends to theeBlessings and love from her and me,
And as to years thy brief months glide,
Be, as thou art, our joy and pride;
Cheer the kind hearts that late were sad,
And with thy gladness make them glad;
Fill them with hope for many a year,
And wake the smile, and chase the tear;
As thou art now, be ever thus,
A boon from God, to them and us.
February 14, 1851.
| Underglimpses (1857) | |