Poems (Hale)/"I see thee not"

by Mary Whitwell Hale

I SEE THEE NOT.

* * "When thou wast far away,
 Sharing the traveler's toilsome lot,
Deem'dst thou that this, thy natal day,
 By kindred hearts was e'er forgot?
Ah, no! it but returned to see
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, with thee."

I see thee not: yet on the heart
 Thine image seems to fall;
And dreams whose light can ne'er depart,
 Affection will recall.
Linked are the joys of other hours,
 To thy loved memory,
The perfume of life's withered flowers
 Was sweeter shared with thee.

I see thee not: the stranger's shore
 Thy weary footsteps press.
Turn to thy vacant place once more,
 Kindred and home to bless.
Our anxious love has missed too long
 The sunlight of thy smile.
Hushed is the voice whose pleasant song
 Our sorrow could beguile.

I see thee not; but prayer ascends
 From hearts "left drooping" here,
And with thy name its incense blends,
 Absent! yet still how dear!
When clouds are round thy distant way,
 God keep thy soul in love;
While beams upon its gloom a ray,—
 The glory from above.