 | The Burden of the Bell and Other Lyrics |  |
157
THE WORLD AND THE POET.
A THOUGHT OF KEATS.
“We heed thee not!—give o'er, give o'er!”
Said the World, as the Poet poured
The wealth of his soul and its glory forth
In burning thought and word—
“Give o'er, give o'er!”
Said the World, as the Poet poured
The wealth of his soul and its glory forth
In burning thought and word—
“Give o'er, give o'er!”
Then a darkness fell on the Poet's face,
An omen of death and doom,
Ah me! ah me! what tears rained down
When soon, in the shadowy tomb,
His rest was won.
An omen of death and doom,
Ah me! ah me! what tears rained down
When soon, in the shadowy tomb,
His rest was won.
“We will weave a crown for this Poet's brow,”
Said the World: “we will build a throne
For his kingly fame; and from shore to shore
For aye shall his name be known—
For aye, for aye!”
Said the World: “we will build a throne
For his kingly fame; and from shore to shore
For aye shall his name be known—
For aye, for aye!”
158
Amen! to that loving deed, O World—
Amen! brave World art thou;
With thy bitter scorn for the beating heart,
And thy crown for the corpse's brow—
Amen! O World!
Amen! brave World art thou;
With thy bitter scorn for the beating heart,
And thy crown for the corpse's brow—
Amen! O World!
| The Burden of the Bell and Other Lyrics | |