FAREWELL! How soon unmeasured distance rolls
Its leaden clouds between our parted souls!
How little to each other now are we–
And once how much I dreamed we two might be!
I, who now stand with eyes undimmed and dry
To say good-bye–
To say good-bye to all sweet memories,
Good-bye to tender questions, soft replies;
Good bye to hope, good-bye to dreaming too,
Good-bye to all things dear–good-bye to you,
Without a kiss, a tear, a prayer, a sigh–
Our last good-bye.
I had no chain to bind you with at all;
No grace to charm, no beauty to enthral;
No power to hold your eyes with mine, and make
Your heart on fire with longing for my sake,
Till all the yearning passed into one cry:
‘Love, not good-bye!’
Ah, no–I had no strength like that, you know;
Yet my worst weakness was to love you so!
So much too well–so much too well–or ill–
Yet even that might have been pardoned still–
It would have been had I been you–you I!
But now–good-bye!
How soon the bitter follows on the sweet!
Could I not chain your fancy’s flying feet?
Could I not hold your soul–to make you play
To-morrow in the key of yesterday–?
Dear–do you dream that I would stoop to try?
Ah, no–Good-bye!
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