| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 476. A Gazelle |
| | | By Richard Henry Stoddard |
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| LAST night, when my tired eyes were shut with sleep, | |
| I saw the one I love, and heard her speak,— | |
| Heard, in the listening watches of the night, | |
| The sweet words melting from her sweeter lips: | |
| But what she said, or seemed to say, to me | 5 |
| I have forgotten, though, till morning broke, | |
| I kept repeating her melodious words. | |
| Long, long may Jami’s eyes be blest with sleep, | |
| Like that which last night stole him from himself,— | |
| That perfect rest which, closing his tired lids, | 10 |
| Disclosed the hidden beauty of his love, | |
| And, filling his soul with music all the while, | |
| Imposed forgetfulness, instructing him | |
| That silence is more significant of love | |
| Than all the burning words in lovers’ songs! | 15 |
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