Love's Coming.

        She had looked for his coming as warriors come,
    With the clash of arms and the bugle's call:
        But he came instead with a stealthy tread,
    Which she did not hear at all.

        She had thought how his armor would blaze in the sun,
    As he rode like a prince to claim his bride:
        In the sweet dim light of the falling night
    She found him at her side.

        She had dreamed how the gaze of his strange, bold eye
    Would wake her heart to a sudden glow:
        She found in his face the familiar grace
    Of a friend she used to know.

        She had dreamed how his coming would stir her soul,
    As the ocean is stirred by the wild storm's strife:
        He brought her the balm of a heavenly calm,
    And a peace which crowned her life.