NEVER AND FOREVER

By George Charles Selden

I stood by the rushing river,

And watched its eddies whirl,

Where, in its rocky channel,

The rolling ripples curl.

And my heart was sad and weary,

For I mourned a life that was o’er,

And I said, in my soul’s deep sorrow,

“Ah! never, nevermore!”

Again I stood by the river,

When years had passed away,

And watched its whirling eddies,

And watched its ripples play.

And my heart was glad within me, —

For I knew, on the other shore,

Once more I should be with my loved one,

Forever and evermore.