The Honourable Mrs. O. N. Knox

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"I have no wealth of grief"

I have no wealth of grief; no sobs, no tears,
Not any sighs, no words, no overflow
Nor storms of passion, no reliefs; yet oh!
I have a leaden grief, and with it fears
Lest they who think there's nought where nought appears
May say I never loved him. Ah not so!
Love for him fills my heart; if grief is slow
In utterance, remember that for years
Love was a habit and the grief is new,
So new a thing it has no language yet.
Tears crowd my heart: with eyes that are not wet
I watch the rain-drops, silent, large, and few,
Blotting a stone; then, comforted, I take
Those drops to be my tears, shed for his sake.

(Text from The Book of Sorrow)