681. Divided by David Gray. Stedman, Edmund Clarence, ed. 1900. An American Anthology, 1787-1900

Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.

681. Divided

By David Gray


THE HALF-WORLD’S width divides us; where she sits
Noonday has broadened o’er the prairied West;
For me, beneath an alien sky, unblest,
The day dies and the bird of evening flits.
Nor do I dream that in her happier breast	5
Stirs thought of me. Untroubled beams the star,
And recks not of the drifting mariner’s quest,
Who, for dear life, may seek it on mid-sea.
The half-world’s width divides us; yet, from far—
And though I know that nearer may not be	10
In all the years—yet, O beloved, to thee
Goes out my heart, and, past the crimson bar
Of Sunset, westward yearns away—away—
And dieth towards thee with the dying day!