DO NOT DISTURB THEM
Do not disturb them, that young gentle pair,
Brother and sister, in the stillness pacing
Down the deep lane—a shadowy greenness there
Of April hedgerows clouds the bank, effacing
That framework of light branches—through the air
Light warblings wander; everywhere displacing
The trophies of defeat, comes Spring retracing
Her last year's footsteps with a tender care.
Oh but the sorrow in those silent eyes
So soon to part to meet perhaps no more—
Thus at this spot, this hour, their childhood dies
Vowed to regret, the life that lies before
Will never, never present moments prize,
Save when they look like those that were of yore.
Brother and sister, in the stillness pacing
Down the deep lane—a shadowy greenness there
Of April hedgerows clouds the bank, effacing
That framework of light branches—through the air
Light warblings wander; everywhere displacing
The trophies of defeat, comes Spring retracing
Her last year's footsteps with a tender care.
Oh but the sorrow in those silent eyes
So soon to part to meet perhaps no more—
Thus at this spot, this hour, their childhood dies
Vowed to regret, the life that lies before
Will never, never present moments prize,
Save when they look like those that were of yore.
April 16.
53
