Man's Devotion

A lover said, "O Maiden, love me well,
For I must go away:
And should ANOTHER ever come to tell
Of love - What WILL you say?"

And she let fall a royal robe of hair
That folded on his arm
And made a golden pillow for her there;
Her face - as bright a charm

As ever setting held in kingly crown -
Made answer with a look,
And reading it, the lover bended down,
And, trusting, "kissed the book."

He took a fond farewell and went away.
And slow the time went by -
So weary - dreary was it, day by day
To love, and wait, and sigh.

She kissed his pictured face sometimes, and said:
    "O Lips, so cold and dumb,
I would that you would tell me, if not dead,
    Why, why do you not come?"

The picture, smiling, stared her in the face
    Unmoved - e'en with the touch
Of tear-drops - HERS - bejeweling the case -
    'Twas plain - she loved him much.

And, thus she grew to think of him as gay
    And joyous all the while,
And SHE was sorrowing - "Ah, welladay!"
    But pictures ALWAYS smile!

And years - dull years - in dull monotony
    As ever went and came,
Still weaving changes on unceasingly,
    And changing, changed her name.

Was she untrue? - She oftentimes was glad
    And happy as a wife;
But ONE remembrance oftentimes made sad
    Her matrimonial life. -

Though its few years were hardly noted, when
    Again her path was strown
With thorns - the roses swept away again,
    And she again alone!

And then - alas! ah THEN! - her lover came:
    "I come to claim you now -
My Darling, for I know you are the same,
    And I have kept my vow

Through these long, long, long years, and now no more
    Shall we asundered be!"
She staggered back and, sinking to the floor,
    Cried in her agony:

"I have been false!" she moaned, "I am not true -
    I am not worthy now,
Nor ever can I be a wife to YOU -
    For I have broke my vow!"

And as she kneeled there, sobbing at his feet,
    He calmly spoke - no sign
Betrayed his inward agony - "I count you meet
    To be a wife of mine!"

And raised her up forgiven, though untrue;
    As fond he gazed on her,
She sighed, - "SO HAPPY!"    And she never knew
    HE was a WIDOWER.