Originally published in Tinsley's Magazine (Tinsley Brothers) vol.2 #12 (Jul 1868).
I.
But a line in a daily paper
Thousands of eyes would see;
And carelessly pass the record by
That gave such a pang to me.
II.
Yet our lives had drifted far apart—
Mine, at my ingle side,
And his, who, I read in the Times to-day,
'On the 4th of October died.'
III.
And ours was a quiet liking,
A simple friendly bond;
It was pleasant to meet, and light to part,
And never a thought beyond.
IV.
Yet as I read those words to-day,
Through a sudden mist of tears,
The fair frank face and the bright blue eyes
Gleamed out through the cloud of years.
V.
I heard the murmur of the tide
On the southern shore again,
And the echo of the pony's feet
In the sandy Hampshire lane.
VI.
I saw the sheen of the willow-bough,
And the flashing of the weir,
Just as we watched them long ago,
In the spring of the life and the year.
VII.
Ah, well! it had passed away from mine,
The life that has closed at noon;
And I who forgot to watch its course,
Will forget its setting soon.
VIII.
For the world goes up, and the world goes down,
And the young succeed the old;
And the April sunshine gilds the buds
That spring from the churchyard mould.
IX.
And eyes that of old have answered mine
Will sadden as mine have done,
As they glance some day down the list, and read
That my earthly race is run.
X.
Well, I scarce can frame a kindlier wish
Than that every lip will say,
'God rest her soul!' as earnestly
As I breathe it for his to-day.