Two shall be born the whole wide world apart,
And speak in different tongues, and have no thought
Each of the other's being, and no heed:
And these o'er unknown seas, to unknown lands,
Shall cross, escaping wreck, defying death;
And all unconsciously shape every act
And bend each wandering step to this one end--
That one day out of darkness they shall meet
And read life's meaning in each other's eyes.
* * * * *
And two shall walk some narrow way of life,
So nearly side by side that should one turn
Ever so little space to left or right,
They needs must stand acknowledged face to face;
And yet with wistful eyes that never meet,
With groping hands that never clasp, and lips
Calling in vain to ears that never hear,
They seek each other all their weary days,
And die unsatisfied. And this is Fate.
* * * * *
Susan Marr Spalding was born in Maine, and though she has
written comparatively little for the public, she has
thousands of admirers among lovers of true poetry. Her
beautiful poem "Fate," which is reprinted above, was first
published in the New York _Graphic_ thirty years ago. Had it
not been for the keepers of scrap books it doubtless would
have disappeared a few years after it was written. Instead,
however, it has found a place in recently published
collections of verse, and is regarded as one of the most
beautiful and expressive utterances in English.