Chapter XIV

The balsam-breathed petunias
Hang riven of the rain;
And where the tiger-lily was
Now droops a tawny stain;
While in the twilight's purple pause
Earth dreams of Heaven again.

When one shall sit and sigh,
And one lie all alone
Beneath the unseen sky--
Whose love shall then deny?
Whose love atone?

With ragged petals round its pod
The rain-wrecked poppy dies;
And where the hectic rose did nod
A crumbled crimson lies;
While distant as the dreams of God
The stars slip in the skies.

When one shall lie asleep,
And one be dead and gone--
Within the unknown deep,
Shall we the trysts then keep
That now are done?