To —— (When I was sick)

When I was sick, how patiently thou sat'st beside my bed!
When I was faint, how lovingly thine arm upheld my head!
When I was wearied out with pain, perverse in misery,
How ready was thy watchful aid my wishes to supply!

And thou art sick, and thou art weak, and thou art racked with pain,
But cheerful still, untamed of ill, does yet thy heart remain;
And have I nursed and tended thee since first thy griefs began?
Forgive, forgive, my ——, the selfishness of man!