Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems by the late Thomas Haynes Bayly; Edited by his Widow. With A Memoir of the Author. In Two Volumes |
 | I. |
| 1 |  | II. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 | |
INCONSTANCY. |
| 1 |
|
|
|
|
 | Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems |  |
176
INCONSTANCY.
I
The fickle rays of April daysAn early rose-bud nourish'd;
Soon chill'd by frost, its leaves it lost,
And faded—ere it flourish'd.
In vain the noon of sultry June
Each kindred bud uncloses;
Its withered bough, neglected now,
Is left for other roses.
II
How like the rose, alas! are those,Who nourish thoughts that grieve them;
Who pledge their truth, in early youth,
To lovers who deceive them.
How like the blights of April nights
Is he, who, truth professing,
Inconstant proves to one who loves,
A faithful heart distressing.
III
How like the days, when brightest raysConceal the storms that gather,
Are smiling eyes, where falsehood lies,
Love's fondest hopes to wither.
The wounded heart, its keenest smart,
In solitude may smother;
It may regret the wrongs it met,
But cannot love another.
| Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems | |