Page 76 - Poetry-Romance

Would double without deterioration.
And carefully hiding from you my intent,
I started at once to experiment.

I tried to reduce—I beg pardon, submit—
My mental horizon to yours, to fit
My thoughts in the track of your psychical range;
And, behold! they evinced instantaneous change.

That I fully succeeded in merging my mind
In yours was quite proved by a curious kind
Of regard for your welfare. I found I respected
Your tiniest whims, while mine I neglected;
Or rather it seemed that your aims had grown
To be, as a matter of fact, my own;
And, science ignoring, I rested a season,
Content to observe without caring to reason.

Shortly, however, with growing concern
And restless impatience, I hungered to learn
If our combination of mental strength
Was affecting your thoughts. To my joy, at length
You seemed to evince, after struggles terrific,
An irksome attention to themes scientific,
As though for the moment your mind were full
Of my vocation—and found it dull.

Such a discovery truly I knew
Meant eternal fame, and I fairly flew
For the earliest train, forgetting that I
Had quite omitted to bid you good-by—
For which I apologize. Reaching the town,
I sorted my data and wrote them down;
But ere they were read to the College of Science
I longed to feel able to bid defiance
To possible error, and deemed it best
To subject my idea to a further test.

Imagine my feeling of utter dismay
As I found that my thoughts (which were miles away)
Still lingered beside the deep blue sea,
While a thrush still sang from the maple-tree

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