Spend An Hour With Thee

In ¦¦¦ silence ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦
I will spend an hour with thee,
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ love ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ of mystery:
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ between our souls
When Death cried, ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ hail!"
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ Nay, wrongly said.
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ Death ¦¦¦¦ sweeps
Far from life, ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
Out into unsounded deeps.
I shall take an hour and come
Sailing, ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ to thy side.
Wind nor sea may keep me from
Soft communings with my bride.
I shall rest my head on thee
As I did long days of yore,
When a calm, untroubled sea
Rocked thy vessel at the shore.
I ¦¦¦¦¦ take thy hand in mine,
And live ¦¦¦¦ the olden days
¦¦¦¦ thy smile to me ¦¦¦ wine,—
Golden wine thy word of praise,
For the carols I had wrought
In my soul's simplicity;
For the petty beads of thought
Which thine eyes alone could see.
Ah, those eyes, ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ keen
For my welfare ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦
Tho' the grave-door shut between,
Still their love-lights ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ steal.
I can see thee thro' my tears,
As thro' rain we see the sun.
What tho' cold and cooling years
Shall their bitter courses run,—
I shall see thee still and be
Thy true lover evermore,
And thy face shall be to me
Dear and helpful as before.
Death ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ may boast,
But we laugh his pow'r to scorn;
He is but a slave at most,—
Night that heralds coming morn.
I ¦¦¦¦¦ spend an hour with thee
Day by day, my ¦¦¦¦¦¦ bride.
True love laughs at mystery,
Crying, "Doors of Death, fly wide."