XXI
Reading edition
SHOULDST thou, perchance, peruse these simple lines, I wonder even if thy heart would be Touched by the pathos of my love, and see In them the attitude that love defines, Unfettered by the selfish light that shines Through many a worldly eye. Perchance if she, To whom my love is given, comes to me In after years, while still my heart repines: Ah then, how can I tell what memories May not have saddened all that makes life cheery? How can I know, it will not be too late, And that, by then, these loving reveries Disperse with time, when I am old and weary Of my stern race with life and sterner fate?