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Away!
I cannot say,
and I will not say
That he is dead! He is just away!
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land.
And left us dreaming how very fair
It must be, since he lingers there.
And you, - O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return, -
Think of him faring on, as dear
In the love of There as the love of Here;
Mild and gentle, as he was brave, -
When the sweetest love of his life he gave
To simple things: - where the violets grew
Pure as the eyes they were likened to,
The touches of his hands have strayed
As reverently as his lips have prayed.
Think of him still as the same, I say;
He is not dead - he is just away!
....James Whitcomb
Riley
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