TO A. S. D.

We are akin, dear soul,
Akin as are the rainbow in the sky,
The runnel on the knoll:
We are akin in spirit, you and I.

Ah! how serene and bright
You stand with shining feet
And lustrous arch complete
Of rounded life upon the cloudy height!
You catch the light of Heaven and repeat
All its transcendent splendor in your face
And beautify a place
With radiance of a glory and a grace.

Thus is your life, O soul!
But I am like the stream
That hurries down the knoll —
As changeful as a dream,

As restless and as wild
As an impatient child:
Yet, thankful, dear, if, in some tranquil space,
I may reflect the radiance of your face.