Page:New poems and variant readings, Stevenson, 1918.djvu/81

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SMALL IS THE TRUST
61

Thus we across the modern stage
Follow the wise of every age;
And, as oaks grow and rivers run
Unchanged in the unchanging sun,
So the eternal march of man
Goes forth on an eternal plan.

SMALL IS THE TRUST WHEN LOVE IS GREEN

Small is the trust when love is green
In sap of early years;
A little thing steps in between
And kisses turn to tears.


Awhile—and see how love be grown
In loveliness and power!
Awhile, it loves the sweets alone,
But next it loves the sour.


A little love is none at all
That wanders or that fears;
A hearty love dwells still at call
To kisses or to tears.