Classic Poem

  Man . I F we had never known each other, sweet,
We both might have been happy.
  Arm. Think not thus.
It was the unerring sense of happiness
That led us gently to each other's arms;
A prophecy more sure than hope can be;
And we obeyed it.
  Man . Therefore are we here.
Starving,—half-dead,—despairing
  Arm. Loving, too:
Thou must not forget that.
  Man . O sweet, sweet woman!
Never! The subtle world will find its road
Into the deeps o' the heart. It is a worm,
Winding its way through every obstacle,—
Grief, joy, dark fortune,—till it finds the core,
And there—ill luck!—it preys.