Night had settled on the hilltops And the vales were dark with gloom; One by one the stars came peeping Through my window in my room. Silently I watched the firelight Paint its phantoms on the wall; Soft, I heard the nightwinds murmur, Whispering in the treetops tall. In the vacant chair beside me Sits a form in calm repose. Ofttimes she is my companion When the evening firelight glows; And her voice is soft and hopeful When she speaks of those who've gone Though I sometimes hear it tremble As if tears were coming on -- But her voice is full of laughter And her tones are gay and glad When she speaks of happy moments -- Happy hours and days we've had; And she conjures up before me Many faces many, many scenes, Many words of love and friendship For she knows how much that means. When the evening lamps are lit up With a sudden painful glare And I look toward my companion -- I behold an empty chair. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HIS PRAYER TO BEN JONSON by ROBERT HERRICK THE HARVEST MOON; SONNET by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW IN MEMORIAM A.H.H.: 82 by ALFRED TENNYSON THE SAD MOTHER by KATHARINE TYNAN ODES: BOOK 1: ODE 13. ON LYRIC POETRY by MARK AKENSIDE ROUNDEL FOR THESE TIMES by ADELIA DOOLITTLE BAUER THE CHARM by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |