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A LIFE STORY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Above her little sufferer's bed
Last Line: And now he understands.
Subject(s): Mothers


"He is too young to know it now,
But some day he will know."

--Eugene Field

ABOVE her little sufferer's bed,
With all a mother's grace,
She stroked the curly, throbbing head,
And smoothed the fevered face.
"He does not know my love, my fears,
My toil of heart and hand;
But some day in the after years,
Some day he'll understand;
Some day he'll know
I loved him so;
Some day he'll understand."

A wild lad plays his thoughtless part
As fits his childhood's lot,
And tramples on his mother's heart
Ofttimes and knows it not.
He plays among his noisy mates
Nor knows his truest friend;
His mother sighs, as still she waits:
"Some day he'll comprehend;
The day will be
When he will see;
Some day he'll comprehend."

The strong youth plays his strenuous part;
His mother waits alone;
And soon he finds another heart--
The mate unto his own.
She gives him up in joy and woe;
He takes his young bride's hand;
His mother murmurs, "Will he know
And ever understand?
When will he know
I love him so?
When will he understand?"

The strong man fights his battling days,--
The fight is hard and grim;
His mother's plain, old-fashioned ways
Have little charm for him.
The dimness falls around her years,
The shadows 'round her stand,
She mourns in loneliness and tears:
"He'll never understand;
He'll never know
I loved him so;
He'll never understand."

A bearded man of serious years
Bends down above the dead.
And rains the tribute of his tears
Over an old gray head.
He stands the open grave above,
Amid the mourning bands:
And now he knows his mother's love
And now he understands.
Now doth he know
She loved him so,
And now he understands.







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