BELIEVE ME, IF ALL THOSE ENDEARING YOUNG CHARMS Believe me, if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly to-day, Were to change by tomorrow, and fleet in my arms, Like fairy gifts fading away! Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art, And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantly still. It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear, That the fervor and faith of a soul may be known, To which time but will make thee more dear! Oh the heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close, As a sunflower turns to her god when he sets The same look which she turned when he rose! -- Thomas Moore (1779-1852)