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DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO FRIENDS.
First Friend.
I.
Tue sharp regret, the gnawing pain,
The dumb and helpless sense of grief,
The struggle which we feel is vain,
The tears which never give relief
Though still they flow;
The restless longing and the fear,
Desiring most what most we dread,
The frenzied cries when none can hear,
Wild tossings on a sleepless bed,—
All these I know.
But they are past; you see me stand
Free from regret, from fear, surprise;
My hand lies calmly in her hand,
I falter not in my replies,
The dumb and helpless sense of grief,
The struggle which we feel is vain,
The tears which never give relief
Though still they flow;
The restless longing and the fear,
Desiring most what most we dread,
The frenzied cries when none can hear,
Wild tossings on a sleepless bed,—
All these I know.
But they are past; you see me stand
Free from regret, from fear, surprise;
My hand lies calmly in her hand,
I falter not in my replies,
