The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay With Illustrations by John Gilbert |
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THE NAMES ON THE BEECH-TREE. |
 | The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay |  |
164
THE NAMES ON THE BEECH-TREE.
I
Where are they gone,—the beautiful,The young, the fond, the free,
Who carved their names upon thy bark,
Thou lordly beechen tree?
Alas, the change! thy leaves grow green,
Thine arms are strong and bold;
But hopes are dead, and joys are fled,
And burning love is cold.
II
'Tis sad to think, O beechen tree,All beauteous as thou art,
That thy broad stem and spreading boughs
Outlive the human heart.
From year to year thy leaves unfold,
And woo the birds to sing;
While Hope and Passion droop and die,
And feel no second spring.
III
Yet ah! not so: the youthful lovesWhose fond memorials twine
Around thy girth, thou ancient tree,
Have higher life than thine.
Though dead to earth, as bygone leaves
By winds of Autumn driven,
A hope divine inspires our souls;
They bloom again in Heaven.
| The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay | |