James Garber

Do you remember, passer-by, the path         I wore across the lot where now stands the opera house         Hasting with swift feet to work through many years?         Take its meaning to heart:         You too may walk, after the hills at Miller's Ford         Seem no longer far away;         Long after you see them near at hand,         Beyond four miles of meadow;         And after woman's love is silent         Saying no more: "l will save you."         And after the faces of friends and kindred         Become as faded photographs, pitifully silent,         Sad for the look which means:         "We cannot help you."         And after you no longer reproach mankind         With being in league against your soul's uplifted hands -         Themselves compelled at midnight and at noon         To watch with steadfast eye their destinies;         After you have these understandings, think of me         And of my path, who walked therein and knew         That neither man nor woman, neither toil,         Nor duty, gold nor power         Can ease the longing of the soul,         The loneliness of the soul!