TWO HEARTS.

(Suggested by the picture ‘In Memoriam.’)

In the sunlight, darting, dancing,

Birds amid the green leaves glancing,

Gaily sing:

In the balmy air entrancing,

Breathes the Spring.

’Tis the dearest hour of daytime;

In the merry, merry Maytime,

Who’d be sad?

Nature revels in her playtime;

All is glad.

Who is this that cometh slowly?

’Tis a maiden meek and lowly;

In her eyes,

Look of resignation holy

Shadowy lies.

Heeds she not the golden gleaming

Of the sunlight softly streaming

Through the leaves:

Still her soul is darkly dreaming;

Still she grieves.

He her heart to win had striven;

She her heart to him had given;

Hope hath fled—

Heart from heart for aye is riven:

He is dead.

Mid the cruel cannon’s rattle,

Passed his soul forth in the battle—

Soul that cried

To Heaven for her from the battle

Ere he died.

On the day when, heavy-hearted,

He had from his love departed

For the fray,

While each heart with sorrow smarted—

On that day

He had left a little token,

That if earthly ties were broken,

On the tree

Tender tie, though all unspoken,

Still might be.

He had carved two hearts united—

Sign of troth and promise plighted;

Sign that they

True will be till death-benighted,

Come what may.

He in each heart—sign that never

Time shall one from other sever—

Graved each name;

Sign that they will be for ever

Still the same.

Daily comes she here to borrow

Short relief from sorest sorrow,

Partial peace,

Till when on her life’s To-morrow

Grief shall cease.

So she dreams of heavenly meeting,

Hears her lost love’s tender greeting

Mid the blest,

Where beyond these troubles fleeting,

There is rest.

Hearts which here were disunited,

Hearts whose hopes on earth were blighted,

On that shore

Rest, in perfect peace delighted,

Evermore.

Printed and Published by W. & R. Chambers, 47 Paternoster Row, London, and 339 High Street, Edinburgh.