“Behold!” cried the angel the world names Care;
“Here is a mortal asleep!
A maiden, young and graceful and fair—
I will give her a gift to keep!”
“Nay, nay!” said the angel the gods name Love;
“She is not meant for thee;
That throat like a lily, and breast like a dove,
Surely belong to me.
“Such beauty and innocence, I know,
Are not to be spoiled by thee;
With this kiss on those blue-veined temples of snow
I seal her unto me!”
So Love leaned down with an eager flush,
Low o’er that lovely head,
And kissed on her cheek a deeper blush,
On her lips a warmer red.
Then who will believe that I heard Care say,
As he bent down pityingly:
“Where love has entered—and gone away—
Is always a place for me.”
“The Two Angels” printed in an unidentified publication. Clipping courtesy of the Ella Higginson Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Heritage Resources, Western Washington University, Bellingham Washington.