Keep watch and ward,
In stately guard,
Around my Una’s wayward feet;
Not lest she tread
False ways instead
Of higher paths, serenely sweet;—
But lest in care
For all who share
Her tender ministry, too late
Her frail strength yield;—
Be thou her shield;
They also serve who sometimes wait!
Of crystal, clear
As in its sphere
Her lofty spirit moves alway;—
Of massive strength
As all at length
Will find who make her soul their stay;—
With flowers and buds
Whose sweetness floods
The air even when we cannot see;—
This gift I send
My earliest friend;—
Dear type of all she is to me!