| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 1439. Sorrow |
| | | By Katrina Trask |
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| O THORN-CROWNED Sorrow, pitiless and stern, | |
| I sit alone with broken heart, my head | |
| Low bowed, keeping long vigil with my dead. | |
| My soul, unutterably sad, doth yearn | |
| Beyond relief in tears—they only burn | 5 |
| My aching eyelids to fall back unshed | |
| Upon the throbbing brain like molten lead, | |
| Making it frenzied. Shall I ever learn | |
| To face you fearlessly, as by my door | |
| You stand with haunting eyes and death-damp hair, | 10 |
| Through the night-watches, whispering solemnly, | |
| “Behold, I am thy guest forevermore.” | |
| It chills my soul to know that you are there. | |
| Great God, have mercy on my misery! | |
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