Some souls have quickened, eye to eye
And heart to heart, and instantly
They understand

Henceforth they can be cold no more;
Woes there may be, - ay, tears and blood
But not the numbness, as before
They understood

Henceforth, though ages roll
Across wild wastes of sand and brine
Whate'er betide, one human soul
Is knit with mine

Whatever joy be dearly bought
Whatever hope my bosom stirs
The straitest cell of secret thought
Is wholly hers

Ay, were I parted, life would be
A helpless, heartless flight along
Blind tracks in vales of misery
And sloughs of wrong

Nay, God forgive me!
Life would roll like some dim moon thro' cloudy bars;
But to have loved her sets my soul
Among the stars