t once I heard
And failed to follow in my youth.

Now well I saw that this was I--
My own dead self who walked with me,
Who died in that dark hour gone by
With all the dreams that used to be.

_ON THE ROAD_

Let us bid the world good-by,
Now while sun and cloud's above us,
While we've nothing to deny,
Nothing but our selves to love us:
Let us fancy, I and you,
All the dreams we dreamed came true.

We have gone but half the road,
Rugged road of root and bowlder;
Made the best of Life's dark load,
Cares, that helped us to grow older:
We, my dear, have done our best--
Let us stop awhile and rest.

Let us, by this halfway stile,
Put away the world's desire,
And sit down, a little while,
With our hearts, and light a fire:
Sing the songs that once we sung
In the days when we were young.

Haply they will bring again,
From the Lands of Song and Story,
To our sides the elfin train
Of the dreams we dreamed of glory,
That are one now with the crew
Of the deeds we did not do.

Here upon the road of Life
Let us rest us; take our pleasure:
Free from care and safe from strife,
Count again our only treasure--
Love, that helped us on our way,
Our companion night and day.

_RECONCILIATION_

Listen, dearest! you must love me more,
More than you did before!--
Hark, what a beating here of wings!
Never at rest,
Dear, in your breast!--
Is it your heart with its flutterings,
Making a music, love, for us both?
Or merely a moth, a velvet-winged moth,
Which out of the garden's fragrance swings,
Weaving a spell,
That holds the rose and the moon in thrall?--
I love you more than I can tell;
And no recall
How long ago
Our quarrel and all!--
You say, you know,
A perfect pearl grows out of--well,
A little friction; tiny grain
Of sand or shell--
So love grew out of that moment's pain,
The heart's disdain--
Since then I have thought of no one but you,
And how your heart would beat on mine,
Like light on dew.
And I thought how foolish to fret and pine!
Better to claim the fault all mine!
To go to you and tell you that:
And how stale and flat
All life without you was, and vain!
And when I came, you turned and smiled,
Like a darling child,