Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Sonnet written by Bell on March 1, 1864 for his
father's birthday. Text from the Library of
Congress.
A Sonnet
Time, speeding, rules: all things compelled obey.
Oh! May this king ne'er turn your love from me!
May every year's forced March, a blessing be,
Your love recruiting, driving fears away.
Dear Guide! Nought can thy tender care repay:
Each seeming harsh reproof
was, now I see,
An act of love: received—ungratefully,
Recalling conscience forces me to say.
Feel not, amid the greetings of this morn,
A Blank, because from sight my
form has gone:
Though I be absent, yet my heart's at home,
Hailing thy
Birthday, while my voice is dumb:
Each absence makes me prize my home the
more:
Return shall find me—worthier than before.