Summary

The poem reflects on missed opportunities and the quiet beauty often overlooked in everyday life. It describes a moment when something precious was within reach but slipped away unnoticed, much like violets hidden in a field. These flowers symbolize the subtle, unnoticed things that one might pass by, only to realize their value too late. The imagery of sauntering softly through a village suggests a gentle, unhurried pace, yet it allows for reflection on how easily opportunities can be missed if not grasped in time. The poem encourages appreciation for the small, often hidden wonders around us before they become lost to time.

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Within my reach!
I could have touched!
I might have chanced that way!
Soft sauntered through the village,
Sauntered as soft away!
So unsuspected violets
Within the fields lie low;
Too late for striving fingers
That passed, an hour ago.