Poems (Angier)/The Dying Husband to his Wife
THE DYING HUSBAND TO HIS WIFE.
"Bend closer, dearest, I would speakThough strength be failing, voice be weak,Fain would I in thy listening earBreathe words which only thou should'st hear.
My life, now ebbing fast away,Had been a dull, cold winter's day,Had not thy love dispelled the gloom,And caused this desert heart to bloom.
Nay, weep not, darling, see yon starSo calmly shining from afar;'Tis like thine eyes, whose holy lightE'er turned to day my darkest night.
The sickle speaks the Reaper near,E'en now his footsteps greet my ear;Hark! voices bid me come away,They gleam in sight, the gates of day!
Crown, harp, and raiment spotless, white,Will soon be mine, in the land of light;Then wear no mourning robes for menWhite, like thy soul, let thy garments be."
A look, a smile, a murmured prayer,And those pale lips closed, but the hallowed airStill echoed the dear, familiar tone,"In heaven the true heart claims its own."
The uncaged spirit upward sprung,While its "welcome home" was by angels sung;And now, beside the crystal sea,He watching waits, dear heart for thee.