A WHITE stone glimmers through the firs,
The dry grass on her grave-mound stirs;
The sunshine scarcely warms the skies;
Pale cloudlets fleck the chilly blue;
The dawn brings frost instead of dew
To the bleak hillside where she lies.
‘T is something to be near the place
Where earth conceals her dear, dead face; –
But thou, true heart, thou art not there!
Where now thou art beloved and known,
Love makes a climate of its own;
Perpetual summer in the air.
The language of that neighboring land
Already thou didst understand,
Already breathe its healthful breath,
Before thy feet its shores had pressed;
There wert thou an awaited guest,
At home in heaven, Elizabeth!
I try to guess what radiance now
Is resting on that gentle brow,
Lovelier than shone upon it here;
What heavenly work thou hast begun,
What new, immortal friendships won,
That make the life unseen so dear.
I cannot think that any change
Could ever thy sweet soul estrange
From the familiar human ties;
Thou art the same,, though inmost heaven
Its wisdom to thy thought has given,
Its beauty kindled in thine eyes.
The same to us, as warm, as true,
Whatever beautiful or new
With thy unhindered growth may blend:
Here, as life broadens, love expands;
How must it bloom in those free lands
Where thou dost walk, beloved friend!
I do not know what death may mean;
No gates can ever shut between
True heart and heart, Elizabeth;
‘T is but to step from time’s rude strife
A little farther into life,
And there thou art, Elizabeth!
(Lucy Larcom)
More Poetry from Lucy Larcom:
Lucy Larcom Poems based on Topics: Life, Heaven, Love, Friendship, Death & Dying, Art, Home, Immortality, Faces, Place, Guest- Mistress Hale Of Beverly (Lucy Larcom Poems)
- The Heart Of God (Lucy Larcom Poems)
- A Loyal Woman's No (Lucy Larcom Poems)
- A Strip of Blue (Lucy Larcom Poems)
- A Canticle Of War (A. N. 1863) (Lucy Larcom Poems)
- His Star In The West (Lucy Larcom Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Life Poems, Death & Dying Poems, Faces Poems, Heaven Poems, Friendship Poems, Place Poems, Home Poems, Art Poems, Lies & Deceit Poems, Change PoemsBased on Keywords: broadens, unhindered, grave-mound
- Book III - Part 03 - The Soul is Mortal (Lucretius Poems)
- Out Of The East (John Freeman Poems)
- The Golden Legend: VI. The School Of Salerno (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book II - Part 03 - Atomic Forms And Their Combinations (Lucretius Poems)
- Clifton Grove (Henry Kirke White Poems)