DUSKY SWALLOWS AGAIN WILL COME

Dusky swallows again will come
Upon thy balcony their nests to swing,
And tap their wings upon thy window-panes
In playful fluttering;

But those which slackened in their flight,
Thy beauty and my fortune their concern;
Those which even came to know our names...
Those... will ne'er return!

Twining honeysuckle will come
Again thy garden wall to clamber o'er,
And spread again upon the air its blossoms,
Fairer than all before;

But those, bediamonded with dew,
Whose drops we two were wont to watch aquiver
And fall, as they were tears of limpid morning...
Those... will come back never!

Burning words of love will come
Again full oft within thine ears to sound;
Perchance thy heart will even be aroused
From its sleep profound;

But mute and prostrate and absorbed,
As God is worshipped in His holy fane,
As I have loved thee... undeceive thyself:
Thou wilt not be thus loved again!