[Editor: This poem by Mary Eliza Fullerton was published in Moods and Melodies: Sonnets and Lyrics (1908).]
Sorrow and Joy
Sorrow came down to the gate,
To the gate of my innocent soul;
And she cried, “Let me in, let me in,
To carry the rue to its goal.”
I cried, “It is bitter your cup,
And my gate shall be never unbarred
For the feet that wear sandals of pain,
The face that’s tear-furrowed and scarred.
Another came down to the gate —
On her face were the ruby and pearl;
And my heart heard her coming, and leapt,
Leapt forth to the beautiful girl:
“From thee, oh most happy and sweet,
My lessons in life let me win.”
And so Joy, with her garland of flowers,
And laughter and love entered in.
Source:
Mary E. Fullerton, Moods and Melodies: Sonnets and Lyrics, Melbourne: Thomas C. Lothian, 1908, p. 56
Editor’s notes:
rue = regret, repentance, sorrow; to feel deep regret, remorse, or sorrow
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