The One Grief

ONE grief there is, the helpmeet of my heart, That shall not from me till my days be sped, That walks beside me in sunshine and shade, And hath in all my fortunes equal part. At first I feared it, and would often start Aghast to find it bending o'er my bed, Till usage slowly dulled the edge of dread, And one cold night I cried: How warm thou art! Since then we two have travelled hand in hand, And, lo, my grief has been interpreter For me in many a fierce and alien land Whose speech young Joy had failed to understand, Plucking me tribute of red gold and myrrh From desolate whirlings of the desert sand.