The Solitary

by Sara Teasdale

My heart has grown rich with the passing of years,
  I have less need now than when I was young
To share myself with every comer
  Or shape my thoughts into words with my tongue.

It is one to me that they come or go
  If I have myself and the drive of my will,
And strength to climb on a summer night
  And watch the stars swarm over the hill.

Let them think I love them more than I do,
  Let them think I care, though I go alone;
If it lifts their pride, what is it to me
  Who am self-complete as a flower or a stone.


Monadnock Valley Press > Teasdale