A Reminiscence
WE wandered by the quiet stream
That down the valley glides;
Our hearts were light, our souls agleam,
With what in life abides.
The day was bright, an autumn day,
October,—long ago,—
Yet when I think, it seems, somehow,
'Tis but a year or so.
The ready thought of that sweet scene,
Comes o'er me like a charm;
The first that's in my memory green,
The last that Time can harm.
No lovelier spot could wish demand,
No fairer sight could be;
Here Nature's wealth, with bounteous hand,
Was lavished full and free.
Her artless speech, and merry laugh,
Her eye so mild and clear,
Is fresher in my mind, by half,
Than scenes the latest near.
No hart that scales the mountain rife,
Nor bird that swims the sky,
Was more aglow with buoyant life,
Than was my love and I.
We wished the day might never end,
The brook ne'er find the sea;
The valley hold its beauteous trend
A path for her and me.