One Woman
THOU listenest to us with unlistening ear;
Alike to thee our censure and our praise:
Thou hearest voices that we may not hear ;
Thou livest only in thy yesterdays !
Alike to thee our censure and our praise:
Thou hearest voices that we may not hear ;
Thou livest only in thy yesterdays !
We see thee move, erect and pale and brave ;
Soft words are thine, sweet deeds, and gracious will;
Yet thou art dead as any in the grave —
Only thy presence lingers with us still.
Soft words are thine, sweet deeds, and gracious will;
Yet thou art dead as any in the grave —
Only thy presence lingers with us still.
With others, joy and sorrow seem to slip
Like light and shade, and laughter kills regret:
But thou — the fugitive tremor of thy lip
Lays bare thy secret — thou canst not forget!
Like light and shade, and laughter kills regret:
But thou — the fugitive tremor of thy lip
Lays bare thy secret — thou canst not forget!