reflections

CCXXIV. Past and Present
I REMEMBER, I remember

The house where I was born,

The little window where the sun

Came peeping in at morn;

He never came a wink too soon,
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Nor brought too long a day:

But now, I often wish the night

Had borne my breath away.


I remember, I remember

The roses, red and white,
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The violets, and the lily-cups—

Those flowers made of light!

The lilacs where the robin built,

And where my brother set

The laburnum on his birthday,—
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The tree is living yet!


I remember, I remember

Where I was used to swing,

And thought the air must rush as fresh

To swallows on the wing;
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My spirit flew in feathers then

That is so heavy now,

And summer pools could hardly cool

The fever on my brow.


I remember, I remember
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The fir trees dark and high;

I used to think their slender tops

Were close against the sky:

It was a childish ignorance;

But now 'tis little joy
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To know I'm farther off from heaven

Than when I was a boy.