Madison Julius Cawein

Then and Now

    When my old heart was young, my dear,
    The Earth and Heaven were so near
    That in my dreams I oft could hear
        The steps of unseen races;
    In woodlands, where bright waters ran,
    On hills, GOD'S rainbows used to span,
    I followed voices not of man,
        And smiled in spirit faces.

    Now my old heart is old, my sweet,
    No longer Earth and Heaven meet;
    All Life is grown to one long street
        Where fact with fancy clashes;
    The voices now that speak to me
    Are prose instead of poetry:
    And in the faces now I see
        Is less of flame than ashes.