And then with kindly gravity
And tenderness it tucked me in,
Just like a mother, shielding me
From cold and damp and dust and din,
           Seeking my heart to win.

And now the ivied house and I
Are gently welded into one;
Yet when in cyprus shade I lie,
With smiling it will greet the sun,
           Although my race be run.

For flesh will rot but stone will stay,
And though its walls I hold in fee,
They will be sunnyful and gay
Long after I have ceased to be,
           Forgetting me.

Houses give love to those who love
And care for them and call them Home;
A rosy roof is blest above
The glory of a golden dome:
Let humble hearth-fire close our days
           In peace and praise!