Father Ryan's Poems (74)

    "Forget-me-not！" The sad words strangely quiver On lips, like shadows falling on a river, Flowing away, By night, by day, Flowing away forever. The mountain whence the river springs Murmurs¹ to it, "forget me not；" The little stream runs on and sings On to the sea, and every spot It passes by Breathes forth² a sigh, "Forget me not！" "forget me not！"

    A Garland I bring this for her mother； ah, who knows The lonely deeps within a mother's heart？ Beneath the wildest wave of woe⁴ that flows Above, around her, when her children part, There is a sorrow, silent, dark, and lone³； It sheds no tears, it never maketh moan. Whene'er a child dies from a mother's arms, A grave is dug within the mother's heart She watches it alone； no words of art Can tell the story of her vigils there. This garland fading even while 'tis fair, It is a mother's memory of a grave, When God hath taken her whom heaven gave.