Versos English Bryan Waller Procter A Petition to Time

English poem

A Petition to Time

by (1787–1874)

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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!