UNANSWERED
Unanswered is the message that my soul sent out to you,
And o'er the sea of silence comes no white ship into view;
Alone upon the mountains, on the barren rocks I stand,
The flowers dead around me, and the ashes in my hand.
'Twas sweet to dream you higher than all else of mortal birth,
With childlike faith to place you over all things on this earth ;
To crown you and to wreath you with a pure and perfect trust,
To love you with a passion that was never stained with lust.
And sweet it was to hold you, to believe with all my heart
That you were at the sources of my life-work and my art;
But time has taught me better, and I face the dark, alone,
Unfearing, unbelieving, and my journey's end unknown.
I only know the message that my soul sent out to sea
Will never cross the silence and come back again to me;
That all the dreams and visions that my soul has dreamed of you
Will fade and die like roses when they miss the sun and dew.