Poems and Essays

by Joseph Howe

 

THE BIRTH DAY.

 
Believe me, love, I’ve kept the day,
    But not with noise or glee—
I’ve cheer’d my heart, though far away,
    With quiet thoughts of thee.

I have not breathed thy name above
5
    The wine-cup’s sparkling tide—
But oh! I’ve dreamt of all the love,
    I’ve shared when by thy side.

The glowing picture of thy youth,
    In maiden charms attired;
10
The vows of tenderness and truth
    Thy modest worth inspired, [Page 110]

The ardent hopes, the anxious fears,
    That mark our wedded lot—
The sweet delights of by-gone years—
15
    These have not been forgot.

But o’er my head, and on my brain,
    They’ve crowded thick and fast,
Until I’ve tasted o’er again,
    Each joy that crowned the past.
20

Then trust me, love, I’ve kept the day,
    But not with noisy glee—
I’ve cheered my heart, though far away,
    With quiet thoughts of thee.
May 12, 1834. [Page 111]