Poems (Radford)/Night
For works with similar titles, see Night.
Night
And art thou come again, Oh Night, I know thee by thy starry crown,And by the mists of violet light Which gather where thy robes fa)l down.I know thee by the purple clouds Thy strong wings spread around the moon,And by the stillness which enshrouds Thy presence, thou art come too soon,Too soon, for lo thy fair love Sleep Turns not her sweet face to the skies,She lingers where the shadows creep, And stays to kiss our children's eyes. But when her gentle hands have blest Our homesteads, she will come to thee,And through the holy hours of rest Thine arms will hold her safe, and sheWill hear the promises again Thou bringest from the distant spheres,And learn the reason of our pain, The meaning of our bitter tears.Thine eyes are steadfast and I dare Their mighty mystery to read,But mine are dimmed by thought and care, And fail me in my greatest need.
I watch for thee, wilt thou not bring A message to my fainting heart?Through summer-time and snow and spring I watch for thee, must thou departThus silently—when will it come, That perfect day which we await? For us thy lips are ever dumb, And voiceless is thy calm estate.Ah! tell thy fair love Sleep, that she May touch me when she passes by,And whisper what she hears from thee In some sweet lullaby.