Past and Present

I remember,

I

The house where I was born,

The little window where the

Came peeping in at morn;

He never came a wink too

Nor bought too long a day;

But now,

I often wish the

Had borne my breath away.

I remember,

I

The roses, red and white,

The violets, and the lily-cups—Those flowers made of light!

The lilacs where the robin built,

And where my brother

The laburnum on his birthday,—The tree is living yet!

I remember,

I

Where I was used to swing,

And throught the air must rush as

To swallows on the wing;

My spirit flew in feathers

That is so heavy now,

And summer pools could hardly

The fever on my brow.

I remember,

I

The fir frees dark and high;

I used to think their slender

Were close against the sky:

It was a childish ignorance,

But now 'tis little

To know I'm farther off from

Than when I was a boy.