Curtain

From The Tacoma Times, April 8, 1913.
 By Berton Braley.
 

 And so we part in friendship, yes,
 With neither pain or bitterness.
 And, unbewitched, we plainly see
 The meaning of our comedy;
 Yet this we know—and knowing, smile,
 At least we loved a little while!
 
 The vows we made, the faith we swore,
 To love—and love forevermore,
 Are quite forgot; we turn and go
 Certain that it is better so,
 Yet, though Romance cannot beguile,
 At least we loved a little while.
 
 Because you loved me, I have known
 A world I could not find alone.
 And from my love you did not gain
 A glimpse of palaces in Spain.
 What if we missed the Blissful Isle?
 At least we loved a little while.
 
 Good-bye—upon your brow I press
 The kiss of faithful friendliness.
 For, though we part from sorrow free,
 We lived a space in Arcady,
 And we can whisper, with a smile,
 “At least we loved a little while!”