The fire has faded as I knew it must, The ashes lie in picturesque array; They keep the shape of castle or of knight— The fire has faded and the room is gray. The fire has faded and the dream is gone Although it echoes in the heart's wide space, There's need for courage in the cruel dawn Of days denied the fire's glowing grace. The room is chiller now; it was so bright It seemed that not a shadow could return, And I but walk in memory of the light That flickered from the logs that used to burn. What gain, oh soul, but that I sense the plight Of all the souls who grieve and lose and yearn. |