 | Songs and Poems from 1819 to 1879 |  |
17
TO------
“Felicité passée,”
“Qui ne peut revenir,”
“Tourment de ma pensée!”
“Que n'ay-je en te perdant, perdu le souvenir?”
—Bertaut.
“Qui ne peut revenir,”
“Tourment de ma pensée!”
“Que n'ay-je en te perdant, perdu le souvenir?”
—Bertaut.
Oh bright be thine eyes though on others they shine,
And the tears of regret stand for ever in mine;
And free be thy spirit, and glad be thy heart,
Though freedom and gladness from me must depart!
Oh never may sorrow or suffering strip
The rose from thy cheek, or the smile from thy lip;
But cloudless the light of thy loveliness be
As when it was shining, sweet------, on me.
And the tears of regret stand for ever in mine;
And free be thy spirit, and glad be thy heart,
Though freedom and gladness from me must depart!
Oh never may sorrow or suffering strip
The rose from thy cheek, or the smile from thy lip;
But cloudless the light of thy loveliness be
As when it was shining, sweet------, on me.
On me—did it ever?—oh yes,------, yes,
And dearly my bosom hath purchased the bliss
Those moments have been; but those moments are past,
And my soul is awakened to sorrow at last.
'Twas but seeming perhaps—'twas my fancy that erred,
And friendship was all that those glances inferred;
But oh! 'twas enchanting whate'er it might be,
And seeming or not—it was heaven to me.
And dearly my bosom hath purchased the bliss
Those moments have been; but those moments are past,
And my soul is awakened to sorrow at last.
18
And friendship was all that those glances inferred;
But oh! 'twas enchanting whate'er it might be,
And seeming or not—it was heaven to me.
But fare-thee-well,------,and would that my mind
Could leave all its sorrows as lightly behind,
And fly to the world unrepining and free,
As if it had ne'er been devoted to thee.
The world—can its pleasures a magic impart,
To cheer the dark spirit or heal the crushed heart?
Or bears it a balm the wild grief to repel
That bursts from my bosom with------, Farewell?
Could leave all its sorrows as lightly behind,
And fly to the world unrepining and free,
As if it had ne'er been devoted to thee.
The world—can its pleasures a magic impart,
To cheer the dark spirit or heal the crushed heart?
Or bears it a balm the wild grief to repel
That bursts from my bosom with------, Farewell?
| Songs and Poems from 1819 to 1879 | |