| |
| HE came too late!—Neglect had tried | |
| Her constancy too long; | |
| Her love had yielded to her pride, | |
| And the deep sense of wrong. | |
| She scorned the offering of a heart | 5 |
| Which lingered on its way, | |
| Till it could no delight impart, | |
| Nor spread one cheering ray. | |
| |
| He came too late!—At once he felt | |
| That all his power was o’er: | 10 |
| Indifference in her calm smile dwelt— | |
| She thought of him no more. | |
| Anger and grief had passed away, | |
| Her heart and thoughts were free; | |
| She met him, and her words were gay— | 15 |
| No spell had Memory. | |
| |
| He came too late!—The subtle chords | |
| Of love were all unbound, | |
| Not by offence of spoken words, | |
| But by the slights that wound. | 20 |
| She knew that life held nothing now | |
| That could the past repay; | |
| Yet she disdained his tardy vow, | |
| And coldly turned away. | |
| |
| He came too late!—Her countless dreams | 25 |
| Of hope had long since flown; | |
| No charms dwelt in his chosen themes, | |
| Nor in his whispered tone. | |
| And when, with word and smile, he tried | |
| Affection still to prove, | 30 |
| She nerved her heart with woman’s pride, | |
| And spurned his fickle love. | |
| |
