When Thou Art Far from Me

When thou art far from me while days go by
In which I may not hear thy voice divine.
Or kiss thy lips, or take thy hand in mine,
I walk as 'neath a dark and hostile sky,
And the Spring winds seem void of prophecy,
Nor is there any cheer in the sun's shine;
But present Grief and mocking Fear combine
To overthrow me when on Love I cry.

I am as one who through a foreign town
Journeys alone, some wild and wintry night,
And from the windows sees warm light stream down.
While there, for him, is neither heat nor light;
But far, far off, he has a lordlier home.
Whereto, one day, his weary feet shall come.