Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature By Charles Mackay |
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| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. | No. VI.—A NAME ON A TREE. |
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| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
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 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
134
No. VI.—A NAME ON A TREE.
I carved my name on a beech-tree bole—
Fool was I!
Lithe of limb and merry of soul,
That saw no cloud on my life's bright sky,
Five-and-twenty years ago,
When my heart was pure as the drifted snow,
And I gave it away,
In the light of day,
To a fair young maid, ah! woe is me!
Under the leaves of this beechen tree.
Fool was I!
Lithe of limb and merry of soul,
That saw no cloud on my life's bright sky,
Five-and-twenty years ago,
When my heart was pure as the drifted snow,
And I gave it away,
In the light of day,
To a fair young maid, ah! woe is me!
Under the leaves of this beechen tree.
135
And the five-and-twenty years have passed—
Sad am I!
Love was fated not to last,
And the dark clouds gathered upon the sky.
And I am old;—my locks are thin,
My life hath nothing more to win;
But the foolish name
Stands here, the same!
While all is changed,—Life, Hope, and Truth!
Oh, mocking Tree! oh, wasted Youth!
Sad am I!
Love was fated not to last,
And the dark clouds gathered upon the sky.
And I am old;—my locks are thin,
My life hath nothing more to win;
But the foolish name
Stands here, the same!
While all is changed,—Life, Hope, and Truth!
Oh, mocking Tree! oh, wasted Youth!
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |