Four Poems by Sara Teasdale

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
  Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
  And never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
  Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
  Haunts me night and day.

When the long day goes by
  And I do not see your face,
The old wild, restless sorrow
  Steals from its hiding place.

My day is barren and broken,
  Bereft of light and song,
A beach bleak and windy
  That moans the whole day long.

To the empty beach at ebb tide,
  Bare with its rocks and scars,
Come back like the sea with singing,
  And light of a million stars.

When beauty grows too great to bear
    How shall I ease me of its ache, 
For beauty more than bitterness
    Makes the heart break.

Now while I watch the dreaming sea
    With isles like flowers against her breast, 
Only one voice in all the world
    Could give me rest.

If I can bear your love like a lamp before me,
When I go down the long steep Road of Darkness,
I shall not fear the everlasting shadows,
     Nor cry in terror.

If I can find out God, then I shall find Him,
If none can find Him, then I shall sleep soundly,
Knowing how well on earth your love sufficed me,
     A lamp in darkness.