Page:Poems Brown.djvu/98

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92
poems.
Full well he knew that darling child,
That face so wondrous fair;
And once again he gathered flowers,
And twined them in her hair;
Once more he chased life's cares away,
And laughed in childish glee;
Once more the evening prayer was lisped
Beside a mother's knee.

But now the happy scene has changed,
Gray shadows are stealing o'er,
And the little form has vanished—
Her smiles will beam no more.
With listless step he wanders forth
To a little grave so dear,
And as he kneels down gently by it,
Wipes away the blinding tear.

He sees his parents fade away,
Their places vacant by the hearth;
His sisters, brothers, all are gone—
Hushed the songs of joy and mirth.
The sunlight glimmers through the trees,
And falls across the floor,