The Poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed With a Memoir by the Rev. Derwent Coleridge. Fourth Edition. In Two Volumes |
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 | The Poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed |  |
318
FUIMUS!
Go to the once loved bowers;
Wreathe blushing roses for the lady's hair:
Winter has been upon the leaves and flowers,—
They were!
Wreathe blushing roses for the lady's hair:
Winter has been upon the leaves and flowers,—
They were!
Look for the domes of kings;
Lo, the owl's fortress, or the tiger's lair!
Oblivion sits beside them; mockery sings
They were!
Lo, the owl's fortress, or the tiger's lair!
Oblivion sits beside them; mockery sings
They were!
Waken the minstrel's lute;
Bid the smooth pleader charm the listening air:
The chords are broken, and the lips are mute;—
They were!
Bid the smooth pleader charm the listening air:
The chords are broken, and the lips are mute;—
They were!
Visit the great and brave;
Worship the witcheries of the bright and fair.
Is not thy foot upon a new-made grave?—
They were!
Worship the witcheries of the bright and fair.
Is not thy foot upon a new-made grave?—
They were!
319
Speak to thine own heart; prove
The secrets of thy nature. What is there?
Wild hopes, warm fancies, fervent faith, fond love,—
They were!
The secrets of thy nature. What is there?
Wild hopes, warm fancies, fervent faith, fond love,—
They were!
We too, we too must fail;
A few brief years to labour and to bear;—
Then comes the sexton, and the old trite tale,
“We were!”
A few brief years to labour and to bear;—
Then comes the sexton, and the old trite tale,
“We were!”
May 21, 1829.
| The Poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed | |