Sad eyes that were patient and tender,
Sad eyes that were steadfast and true,
And warm with the unchanging splendor
Of courage no ills could subdue!
Eyes dark with the dread of the morrow,
And woe for the day that was gone,
The sleepless companions of sorrow,
The watchers that witnessed the dawn.
Eyes tired from the clamor and goading
And dim from the stress of the years,
And hallowed by pain and foreboding
And strained by repression of tears.
Sad eyes that were wearied and blighted
By visions of sieges and wars
Now watch o'er a country united
From the luminous slopes of the stars!
[Illustration: PRESIDENT LINCOLN IN 1862