New Year’s Eve.
And he looked upon her gently,
And she felt that he had known
Pain, hunger, cold, and sorrow,
Ay, equal to her own.
And she felt that he had known
Pain, hunger, cold, and sorrow,
Ay, equal to her own.
And he pointed to the laden board,
And to the Christmas tree,
Then up to the cold sky, and said,
“Will Gretchen come with me?”
And to the Christmas tree,
Then up to the cold sky, and said,
“Will Gretchen come with me?”
The poor child felt her pulses fail,
She felt her eyeballs swim,
And a ringing sound was in her ears,
Like her dead mother’s hymn.
She felt her eyeballs swim,
And a ringing sound was in her ears,
Like her dead mother’s hymn.
And she folded both her thin white hands.
And turned from that bright board,
And from the golden gifts, and said,
“With Thee, with Thee, O Lord.”
And turned from that bright board,
And from the golden gifts, and said,
“With Thee, with Thee, O Lord.”
The chilly winter morning
Breaks up in the dull skies,
On the city wrapt in vapor,
On the spot where Gretchen lies.
Breaks up in the dull skies,
On the city wrapt in vapor,
On the spot where Gretchen lies.
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