Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A LIVING MEMORY, by WILLIAM AUGUSTUS CROFFUT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A LIVING MEMORY, by                    
First Line: My absent daughter - gentle, gentle maid
Last Line: So softly out of mine!
Alternate Author Name(s): Croffut, W. A.


MY absent daughter -- gentle, gentle maid,
Your life doth never fade!
O, everywhere I see your blue eyes shine,
And on my heart, in healing or command,
I feel the pressure of your small, warm hand
That slipped at dawn, almost without a sign,
So softly out of mine!

The birds all sing of you, my darling one;
Your day was just begun,
But you had learned to love all things that grew;
And when I linger by the streamlet's side
Where weed and bush to you were glorified,
The violet looks up as if it knew,
And talks to me of you.

The lily dreams of you. The pensive rose
Reveals you where it glows
In purple trance above the waterfall;
The fragrant fern rejoices by the pond,
And sets your dear face in its feathery frond;
The winds blow chill, but, sounding over all,
I hear your sweet voice call!

My gentle daughter! With us you have stayed.
Your life doth never fade!
O, evermore I see your blue eyes shine.
In subtle moods I cannot understand,
I feel the flutter of your tender hand
That slipped at dawn, almost without a sign,
So softly out of mine!





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