A Good-Bye

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!