Classic Poem

I

It comforts me through all my days
To know that on this strange old earth,
On which we two found human birth,
I have a friend who cares for me.

Not a high God, serene and just,
Who from His calm sure place of bliss
Looks down from His world into this,
And burns me that I grow more white.

But just a man, so strong and dear —
How dear the stars know in the sky,
And the sweet birds as home they fly,
When evening comes, to the warm nest!

He can do things that I can not:
He builds a wall around my heart;
Some day we will not dwell apart —
A man is stronger than a girl.

II

Within the wall that he has made
I plant the seeds of life's queen flowers;
I watch them grow through pleasant hours, —
Be sure they neither droop nor fade.

Perhaps some passers-by may think:
" It only is a common wall,
Solid and square, not very tall " —
But could they look over the brink,

And see the rose and mignonette,
Spicy carnations red and white,
That pulse their perfume in the light,
With tall pale lilies firmly set!

III

Now while the sweet wild autumn rain
Is falling on the world outside,
How safely does my heart abide
In the dear shelter of my wall!