TILL DAY IS DONE.

What does it matter Though wealth pass by, Where follies flatter And red lips lie— Though cloud shades darken The spring-time sheen, And dull threads mingle Life’s woof between— Which winds blow whither O’er land and sea— What does it matter To you and me? Here at the door of Our Peace-thatched cot Cosmea nods, and Forget-me-not Seems to say from Its eyes of blue, “Life is fairest Where hearts are true!” And far beyond, where The world is wide, Where wrecked lives drift on An ebbing tide, There is a garland A queen may wear, Of sweet boronia And maidenhair. Never grey thyme, or A spray of rue Tarnish the garland I’ve twined for you! Let love-fires light, in Each fragrant gem A setting fair for Your diadem! What though its petals May, one by one, Pale grow and pass with The mid-day’s sun— Though velvet fingers At midnight’s hush Shall paint your tresses With silvered brush— Though shadows creep, and The earth grows wan, Our love will last As the years roll on! With hand in hand, with Our hearts that beat Time to the music Of twinkling feet— Wrapped in a dream that Will live and last Into the night When the day is past— Though sails be set for The shoreless sea— What will it matter To you and me?