The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay With Illustrations by John Gilbert |
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THE LOST DAY. |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
 | The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay |  |
74
THE LOST DAY.
I
Farewell, oh day misspent;Thy fleeting hours were lent
In vain to my endeavour.
In shade and sun
Thy race is run
For ever! oh, for ever!
The leaf drops from the tree,
The sand falls in the glass,
And to the dread eternity
The dying minutes pass.
II
It was not till thine endI knew thou wert my friend;
But now, thy worth recalling,
My grief is strong
I did thee wrong,
And scorn'd thy treasures falling.
But sorrow comes too late;
Another day is born;—
Pass, minutes, pass; may better fate
Attend to-morrow morn.
III
Oh, birth! oh, death of Time!Oh, mystery sublime!
75
Brings forth the wave
To smile or rave,
And die of its own motion.
A little wave to strike
The sad responsive shore,
And be succeeded by its like
Ever and evermore.
IV
A change from same to same—A quench'd, yet burning flame,—
A new birth, born of dying,—
A transient ray,
A speck of day,
Approaching and yet flying.
Pass to Eternity.
O day, that came in vain!
A new wave surges on the sea—
The world grows young again.
V
Come in, To-day, come in!I have confess'd my sin
To thee, young promise-bearer!
New Lord of Earth!
I hail thy birth—
The crown awaits the wearer.
Child of the ages past!
Sire of a mightier line!
On the same deeps our lot is cast!
The world is thine—and mine!
| The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay | |