Edith Nesbit

The Gift of Life

   LIFE is a night all dark and wild,
      Yet still stars shine:
   This moment is a star, my child—
      Your star and mine.

   Life is a desert dry and drear,
      Undewed, unblest;
   This hour is an oasis, dear;
      Here let us rest.

   Life is a sea of windy spray,
      Cold, fierce and free:
   An isle enchanted is to-day
      For you and me.

   Forget night, sea, and desert: take
      The gift supreme,
   And, of life’s brief relenting, make
      A deathless dream.