Poem by Henry Timrod

Sonnets. 7. Grief Dies Like Joy; the Tears Upon My Cheek

Grief dies like joy; the tears upon my cheek
Will disappear like dew. Dear God! I know
Thy kindly Providence hath made it so,
And thank thee for the law. I am too weak
To make a friend of Sorrow, or to wear,
With that dark angel ever by my side
(Though to thy heaven there be no better guide),
A front of manly calm. Yet, for I hear
How woe hath cleansed, how grief can deify,
So weak a thing it seems that grief should die,
And love and friendship with it, I could pray,
That if it might not gloom upon my brow,
Nor weigh upon my arm as it doth now,
No grief of mine should ever pass away.

1. Hymn Sung at the Consecration of Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C.
2. Too Long, O Spirit of Storm
3. Hymn Sung at an Anniversary of the Asylum of Orphans at Charleston
4. Lines to R. L.
5. A Cry to Arms

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