THE relic taken, what avails the shrine? <br />The locket, pictureless? O heart of mine, <br />Art thou not worse than that, <br />Still warm, a vacant nest where love once sat? <br /> <br />Her image nestled closer at my heart <br />Than cherished memories, healed every smart <br />And warmed it more than wine <br />Or the full summer sun in noon-day shine. <br /> <br />This was the little weather gleam that lit <br />The cloudy promontories - the real charm was <br />That gilded hills and woods <br />And walked beside me thro' the solitudes. <br /> <br />The sun is set. My heart is widowed now <br />Of that companion-thought. Alone I plough <br />The seas of life, and trace <br />A separate furrow far from her and grace.<br /><br />Robert Louis Stevenson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-relic-taken-what-avails-the-shrine/
