Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922.
My Share of the WorldAlice Furlong (18661946)
I
Sick at heart for love of you,
O my share of the world!
I am cold, O, cold as stone
To all men save you alone.
When your face is far away,
O my share of the world!
Seven times darker falls the night
When you gladden not my sight.
Would you choose me for your bride,
O my share of the world!
For your face is my delight,
Morn and even, noon and night.
Still I go but for your sake,
O my share of the world!
Just to see your face awhile,
Meet your eyes and win your smile.
Never lets my secret slip
To my share of the world!
Light my feet trip over the green—
But my heart cries in the keen!
When my looks go after you,
O my share of the world!
And my father’s brow grows black
When you smile and turn your back.
I would go beyond the seas,
For my share of the world!
I would leave my hearth and home
If he only whisper’d ‘Come!’
I would beg my bread with you,
O my share of the world!
Houseless in the snow and storm,
Your heart’s love would keep me warm.
To be with you in the grave,
O my share of the world!
I would go through fire and flood,
I would give up all but God
For my share of the world!