Lucy Larcom

In the Air

THE scent of a blossom from Eden!
The flower was not given to me,
But it freshened my spirit forever,
As it passed, on its way to thee!

In my soul is a lingering music:
The song was not meant for me,
But I listen, and listen, and wonder
To whom it can lovelier be.

The sounds and the scents that float by us —
They cannot tell whither they go;
Yet, however it fails of its errand,
Love makes the world sweeter, I know.

I know that love never is wasted,
Nor truth, nor the breath of a prayer;
And the thought that goes forth as a blessing
Must live, as a joy in the air.

The best of all God's blessings
Are caught upon the wing,
And then set free into the heaven
Of other hearts, to sing.

Our message brought no answer, —
Our dream did not come true;
But we have freshened weary lives
In ways we never knew.