If I had a wife

If I had a wife

I would love her as kings

Loved queens in the old days, or as princes

Maidens,

Met in the dew, by a stile, of a morning—

“How do you do, my pretty?”

And all of that.

If I had a wife

I would come home sometimes

Dressed like a stranger, and when she stared,

“Lady,”

I'd say, and woo her in wonder—

“How can there be such shining?”

And all of that.

If I had a wife

I would never be done

With remembering how it is now when, oh,

I am lonesome,

And no one is here but my dog and my cat—

“Well, old boys! Hungry?”

And all of that.