The Poetry Corner

Heart o' the North

By Robert William Service

And when I come to the dim trail-end, I who have been Life's rover, This is all I would ask, my friend, Over and over and over: A little space on a stony hill With never another near me, Sky o' the North that's vast and still, With a single star to cheer me; Star that gleams on a moss-grey stone Graven by those who love me - There would I lie alone, alone, With a single pine above me; Pine that the north wind whinneys through - Oh, I have been Life's lover! But there I'd lie and listen to Eternity passing over.