TO R. F.MAY, 1880.
There be all kinds of parting,—some which rend
The very soul with bitter sense of pain,
And, tearing from us the beloved friend,
Leave wounds which gape while life and thought remain.
The very soul with bitter sense of pain,
And, tearing from us the beloved friend,
Leave wounds which gape while life and thought remain.
And some, which lightly met and lightly passed,
Like cloudwreaths tossed beneath a summer sky,
A moment's shadow on the spirit cast,
But leave the clear sun shining as they fly.
Like cloudwreaths tossed beneath a summer sky,
A moment's shadow on the spirit cast,
But leave the clear sun shining as they fly.
Yet some there are, more blessed than the rest,
Which know of parting but the name alone,
So deeply in each tried and faithful breast
The spreading roots of mutual trust have grown;
Which know of parting but the name alone,
So deeply in each tried and faithful breast
The spreading roots of mutual trust have grown;