A Woman's Mood
I think to-night I could bear it all,
Even the arrow that cleft the core—
Could I wait again for your swift footfall
And your sunny face coming in at the door,
With the old frank look and the gay young smile.
And the ring of the words you used to say;
I could almost deem the pain worth while.
To greet you again in the olden way!
But you stand without in the dark and cold,
And I may not open the long-closed door.
Nor call thro' the night, with the love of old—
Come in to the warmth, as in nights of yore!
I kneel alone in the red fire-glow,
And hear the wings of the wind sweep by;
You are out afar in the night, I know.
And the sough of the wind is like a cry.
You are out afar—and I wait within,
A grave-eyed woman whose pulse is slow;
The flames round the red coals softly spin,
And the lonely room's in a rosy glow;
The firelight falls on your vacant chair,
And the soft brown rug where you used to stand;
Dear, never again shall I see you there,
Nor lift my head for your seeking hand.
Yet sometimes still, and in spite of all,
I wistful look at the fastened door.
And wait again for the swift footfall,
And the gay young voice as in hours of yore.
It still seems strange to be here alone,
With the rising sob of the wind without;
The sound takes a deep, insisting tone
Where the trees are swinging their arms about.
The moaning reaches the sheltered room,
And thrills my heart with a sense of pain;
I walk to the window, and pierce the gloom
With a yearning look that is all in vain.
Yon are out in a night of depths that hold
No promise of dawning for you and me,
And only a wraith, from the lite of old,
Has shaken the chords of memory!
Yon are out evermore! God wills it so;
And I have taken the love you knew—
The love you struck with a mortal blow—
And torn each dinging heart-string thro'.
And yet tho' the latest throb is still—
Tho' red life-blood is cold at the core,
I'm watching, watching, against my will,
For your banished face in the op'ning door.
It maybe, dear, when the sequel's told
Of the story, read to its bitter close;
When the inner meanings of life unfold,
And the under-side of our being shows—
It maybe then, in that truer light,
When all our knowledge has larger grown,
I may understand why you stray to-night,
And I am left, with the past alone.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
- published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
- anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
- government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse