And yet, mayhap, the wish is vain,
To wake the solemn past,
Or break the darkly-woven chain
By silence round it cast.
Mayhap ’tis but a foolish wish,
And yet the thoughtful mind
Will love the lore of human hearts,
That links it to its kind.
Thou of the hundred years! what change
Hast seen around thee wrought?