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They must not wed the Doctor said,
      For they were far from strong,
And children of their marriage bed
      Might not live overlong.
And yet each eve I saw them pass
      With rapt and eager air,
As fit a seeming lad and lass
              As ought to pair.
              
For twenty years I went away
      And scoured the China Sea,
Then homing came and found that they
      Were still sweet company.
The Doctor and the Priest had banned
      Three times their wedding ties,
Yet they were walking hand in hand,
              Love in their eyes.

And then I went away again
      For years another score,
And sailored all the Spanish Main
      Ere I returned once more;
And now I see them pass my gate,
      So slow and stooped and grey,
And when I asked them: "Why not mate?"
              "We do," they say.

"No priest and village bells we need,
      No Doctor to approve;
The Lord has wedded us indeed
      With everlasting love.
How wonderful to understand
      The working of His will!
Lo! We are walking hand in hand,
              And sweethearts still."

Added: 25 Mar 2002 | Last Read: 8 Sep 2008 4:40 AM | Viewed: 2491 times

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