Yesterday's Grief

by Katharine Lee Bates

The rain that fell a yesterday is ruby on the roses,
Silver on the poplar-leaf and gold on willow stem;
The grief that chanced a yesterday is silence that encloses
Holy loves where time and change shall never trouble them.

The rain that fell a yesterday makes all the hillside glisten,
Coral on the laurel and beryl on the grass;
The grief that chanced a yesterday has taught the soul to listen
For whispers of eternity in all the winds that pass.

O faint-of-heart, storm-beaten, this rain will gleam to-morrow
Flame within the columbine and jewels on the thorn,
Heaven in the forget-me-not; though sorrow now be sorrow,
Yet sorrow shall be beauty in the magic of the morn.