Poems (Sharpless)/The Answer of Earth

by Frances M. Sharpless

THE ANSWER OF EARTH

[Refer to poem by Margaret E. Sangster.]

"The insistence of growth, the fair crown of the leaf,
The fruit in its ripeness, the rich bending sheaf—
Earth, this thou canst do, yet our dearer loves go,
And return not again from their beds hallowed low."
—"The Unreturning."
—
Thro' the myriad murmurs of life in my breast,
Thy sorrow, oh daughter! breaks in on my rest.
I restore what I may, the spring bloom to the tree,
But thy darling has parted forever from me.

I folded her form in my silent embrace,
A mask that was void of all beauty, all grace;
And all that was given, again I must yield
In the mould of the valley, the grass of the field.

Thy love, with her smiles and her tears, was not mine;
What I never received then, how can I resign?
My Master has written a message for thee,
Full many a token He sends thee by me.

Has He formed for the air, the swift wing of a bird,
And the sorrowful cry of a heart be unheard?
Not a need of my tiniest child but is met,
And shall He his own human creature forget?

Naught know I of sorrow, of evils, or woes:
I cherish the nightshade as well as the rose.
The tiger and lamb are both children of mine,
But what have I to do with these darlings of thine?