Poems (Edwards)/I Am Not Alone

I AM NOT ALONE.

I do not mingle with the gay
And thoughtless ones of earth,
I join not in the giddy dance,
Where all is joy and mirth,
Where pealing laughter, free and wild,
On every breeze is borne,
Where every lip is wreathed in smiles;
But yet, I'm not alone.

I'm not alone, I have the trees
Around me bending low,
I have the winds to roam with me
Where'er my footsteps go;
I have the blossoms for my friends,
Though frail and small and weak,
They whisper holier things to me,
Than mortal lips can speak.

I have the birds to sing for me,
From morning until night,
They warble, warble, till my heart,
Is lost in wild delight;
And then the streams and silvery rills,
That murmur in the dell,
They always have some pleasant things
And precious truths to tell.

I have the moon to shine for me,
From evening until morn,
Her beams for me, like spirits bright,
Go dancing on the lawn;
And O! the stars, the holy stars,
In their sweet homes of blue,
That twinkle brightly all night long,
These are my treasures too.

Aye, all of these my comrades are,
And all things speak to me,
From the proud mountain, to the drop
That trembles in the sea;
And while the birds can sing, and while
The zephyrs have a tone,
While flowers can bloom and forests wave,
I'll never be alone.

I do not ask the gilded things,
That wealth or fame bestows,
They come, and quickly glide away
Like dew drops from the rose;
Then think not I am lonely, though
I dwell in solitude,
I'm lonelier in the crowded hall
Than in the silent wood.