A Petition To Time

TOUCH us gently, Time!  
 Let us glide adown thy stream  
Gently,—as we sometimes glide  
 Through a quiet dream.  
Humble voyagers are We,
Husband, wife, and children three—  
(One is lost,—an angel, fled  
To the azure overhead.)  
 
Touch us gently, Time!  
 We ’ve not proud nor soaring wings:
Our ambition, our content,  
 Lies in simple things.  
Humble voyagers are We,  
O’er Life’s dim, unsounded sea,  
Seeking only some calm clime;—
Touch us gently, gentle Time!