When 'twas my hap to meet you, for awhile
Our paths together lay—and each one brought
Heart to feel heart, and thought to answer thought;
And our brief converse has been as a smile
Upon a sorrowful face,—sweet—sad—and now
It dies away, and we must say farewell:
The strain is closing,—the spring leaves to flow,—
And our good fellowship in the past must dwell.
Yet, let there be no parting. In my heart
I hold you, and your looks and words; I pray,
In your remembrance let me keep a part,
And let us still be friends—true friends alway;—
Still holding converse in that inner life,
Where Time and Absence wage with Love no strife.