True Love Is Watered Aye Wi' Tears Poem by Carolina Oliphant

True love is water'd aye wi' tears,
It grows 'neath stormy skies,
It's fenced around wi' hopes and fears,
An' fann'd wi' heartfelt sighs.
Wi' chains o' gowd 'twill no be bound,
Oh! wha the heart can buy?
The titled glare, the warldling's care -
Even absence 'twill defy,
Even absence 'twill defy.

And time, that kills a' ither things,
His withering touch 'twill brave,
'Twill live in joy, 'twill live in grief,
'Twill live beyond the grave!
'Twill live, 'twill live though buried deep,
In true hearts' memorie -
Oh! we forgot that ane sae fair,
Sae bricht, sae young, could dee,
Sae young could dee.

Unfeeling hands may touch the chord
Where buried griefs do lie-
How many silent agonies
May that rude touch untie!
But oh! I love that plaintive lay
The dear auld melodie!
For, oh, 'tis sweet! - yet I maun greet,
For it was sung by thee,
Sung by thee!

They may forget wha lichtly love,
Or feel but beauty's chain;
But they wha loved a heavenly mind
Oh! a' my dreams o' warld's gude
Aye were intwined wi' thee,
But I leant on a broken reed
Which soon was ta'en frae me,
Ta'en frae me.

'Tis weel, 'tis weel, we dinna ken
What we may live to see,
'Twas Mercy's hand that hung the veil
O'er dark futurity!
Oh! ye whase hearts are scathed and riven,
Wha feel the warld is vain,
Oh, fix your broken earthly ties
Where they ne'er will break again,
Break again!