I told you the winter would go.
That he'd flee in shame when the south wind came.
And you smiled when I told you so.
You said the blustering fellow
Would never yield to a breeze.
That his cold, icy breath had frozen to death
The flowers, and birds, and trees.
And I told you the snow would melt, love,
In the passionate glance o' the sun;
And the leaves o' the trees, and the flowers and bees,
Would come back again, one by one.
That the great, grey clouds would vanish,
And the sky turn tender and blue;
And the sweet birds would sing, and talk of the spring,
And, love, it has all come true.
I told you that sorrow would fade, love,
And you would forget half your pain,
That the sweet bird of song would waken ere long,
And sing in your bosom again;
That hope would creep out of the shadows,
And back to it's nest in your heart,
And gladness would come, and find its old home,
And that sorrow at length would depart.
I told you that grief seldom killed, love,
Though the heart may seem dead for awhile,
But the world is so bright, and so full of warm light
That 'twould waken at length, in its smile.
Ah, love! was I not a true prophet?
There's a sweet happy smile on your face,
Your sadness has flown - the snow-drift is gone,
And the buttercups bloom in its place.
I Told You by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I Told You by Ella Wheeler Wilcox