 | Outlines of Edinburgh, and Other Poems |  |
73
TO ANNA
And must I now restore again
Those gifts still dear to me?
Shall no memento now remain,
To waken thoughts of thee?
Then take them back; I cannot know
More grief, since thou art gone;
Yet I will view them ere they go,
And kiss them one by one.
Those gifts still dear to me?
Shall no memento now remain,
To waken thoughts of thee?
Then take them back; I cannot know
More grief, since thou art gone;
Yet I will view them ere they go,
And kiss them one by one.
Take back thy Picture; feebly trac'd
Thy form is copy'd there;
And my first gift, the rose, is plac'd
Amid thy clustering hair:
Thy smiling eyes' unearthly blue
Defy'd the artist's skill;
Yet since those eyes I cannot view,
I'll keep the copy still.
Thy form is copy'd there;
And my first gift, the rose, is plac'd
Amid thy clustering hair:
74
Defy'd the artist's skill;
Yet since those eyes I cannot view,
I'll keep the copy still.
Take back the Ring, which never yet
Hath left me night or day;
This heart, alas! can ne'er forget,
Though relics pass away:
Take back the ring—but, oh! too tight,
Too well it fits to move!
If Time can hands and rings unite,
Time ought to strengthen Love.
Hath left me night or day;
This heart, alas! can ne'er forget,
Though relics pass away:
Take back the ring—but, oh! too tight,
Too well it fits to move!
If Time can hands and rings unite,
Time ought to strengthen Love.
Take back the Ivory Tablet too,
It trembles in my grasp;
Tears have not chang'd its snowy hue,
Nor soil'd its silver clasp:
Its page records my faithful vow,
My love—my loss—my grief;
But hold—that theme's forbidden now,
I must not send that leaf.
It trembles in my grasp;
Tears have not chang'd its snowy hue,
Nor soil'd its silver clasp:
75
My love—my loss—my grief;
But hold—that theme's forbidden now,
I must not send that leaf.
Take back the Box, where link'd in one,
Our names together twine;
The only place where now your own
Can ne'er be torn from mine:
Yet some, with alter'd glance, may find
Our names united thus;
I'll keep the gift,—it calls to mind
The joys they snatch'd from us.
Our names together twine;
The only place where now your own
Can ne'er be torn from mine:
Yet some, with alter'd glance, may find
Our names united thus;
I'll keep the gift,—it calls to mind
The joys they snatch'd from us.
No, Anna, no! though you return
Each pledge of mine again,
I gaze on yours, and strive to learn
The same sad task—in vain;
Endear'd by former hours of bliss
Those gifts were priz'd before;
Endear'd by all the gloom of this,
I prize them more and more.
Each pledge of mine again,
I gaze on yours, and strive to learn
The same sad task—in vain;
76
Those gifts were priz'd before;
Endear'd by all the gloom of this,
I prize them more and more.
The trifling toys which you resign,
Shall never leave me now;
To deck a form less fair than thine,
Or pledge a second vow:
To none but thee my lips repeat
The tale my passion told;
For none but thee my heart shall beat,
Till that sad heart is cold.
Shall never leave me now;
To deck a form less fair than thine,
Or pledge a second vow:
To none but thee my lips repeat
The tale my passion told;
For none but thee my heart shall beat,
Till that sad heart is cold.
They bid me seek, in change of scene,
Forgetfulness of thee;
When wilds and waters intervene
They'll find no change in me;
When one deep sorrow rules the heart,
No cure in flight is found;
A wounded man may shun the dart,
But still retains the wound.
Forgetfulness of thee;
When wilds and waters intervene
They'll find no change in me;
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No cure in flight is found;
A wounded man may shun the dart,
But still retains the wound.
What hope can now my grief console,
Amid life's darkening sea?
What cherish'd thought sustains my soul?
My confidence in thee.
I'll ne'er believe thy future choice
Will bless a happier youth;
I'd silence e'en a friendly voice,
If it should doubt thy truth.
Amid life's darkening sea?
What cherish'd thought sustains my soul?
My confidence in thee.
I'll ne'er believe thy future choice
Will bless a happier youth;
I'd silence e'en a friendly voice,
If it should doubt thy truth.
And though my duty bids me now
All former claims resign,
Though I absolve thee from thy vow,
I cannot cancel mine.
Before we met, Love ne'er gave birth
To one fond smile or tear;
And when we met, I felt that Earth
Held nothing half so dear.
All former claims resign,
Though I absolve thee from thy vow,
I cannot cancel mine.
78
To one fond smile or tear;
And when we met, I felt that Earth
Held nothing half so dear.
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