In the dawn

Some souls have quickened, eye to eye,

And heart to heart, and instantly

They understand.

Henceforth they can be cold no more;

Woes there may be, - ay, tears and blood,

But not the numbness, as before

They understood.

Henceforth, though ages roll

Across wild wastes of sand and brine,

Whate'er betide, one human soul

Is knit with mine.

Whatever joy be dearly bought,

Whatever hope my bosom stirs,

The straitest cell of secret thought

Is wholly hers.

Ay, were I parted, life would be

A helpless, heartless flight along

Blind tracks in vales of misery

And sloughs of wrong.

Nay, God forgive me!

Life would roll like some dim moon thro' cloudy bars;

But to have loved her sets my soul

Among the stars.