Classic Poem

" BUT , Lord, " she said, " my shoulders still are strong " —
I have been used to bear the load so long;

" And see, the hill is passed, and smooth the road . . . "
" Yet, " said the Stranger, " yield me now thy load. "

Gently he took it from her, and she stood
Straight-limbed and lithe, in new-found maidenhood,

Amid long, sunlit fields; around them sprang
A tender breeze, and birds and rivers sang.

" My Lord, " she said, " the land is very fair! "
Smiling, he answered: " Was it not so there? "

" There? " In her voice a wondering question lay.
" Was I not always here, then, as to-day? "

He turned to her with strange, deep eyes aflame:
" Knowest thou not this kingdom, nor my name? "

" Nay, " she replied: " but this I understand —
That thou art Lord of Life in this dear land! "

" Yea, child, " he murmured, scarce above his breath:
" Lord of the Land! but men have named me Death. "