Moonlight.

Oh, what so subtle as the spell         The silvery moonlight weaves?     Oh, what so sad and what so glad,         And what so soon deceives.     A vision of the long ago--         Long years of pain between;     A mocking dream of happier days--         A veil of silver sheen.     A passing gleam of falling stars--         An idle summer's dream;     The sudden waking of a heart--         Things are not as they seem.     Oh, silver moon, indeed you hold         The secrets of the heart;     And none can know and none can guess         The mystery of thy art.     A silver length of rippling waves,         A glance from happy eyes;     A strain of music low and sweet--         The heart in rapture lies.     Yet, ah, how faithless are the vows         Made 'neath the summer moon;     As changing as the falling rays         That fade away as soon.     For love is like the subtle spell         The sliver moonlight weaves;     And what so sad and what so glad     And what so soon deceives?