第 23 节
作者:
管他三七二十一 更新:2021-10-16 18:45 字数:9285
Its painful joy; its happy pain; And live it over yet once more; And say;
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〃But few more years remain。〃
And then; when I had striven my best; And all around would smiling
say; 〃See how Time makes all grief decay;〃 Would lie down thankfully to
rest; And seek thee in eternal day。
II。
But if the day should ever rise … It could not and it cannot be … Yet; if
the sun should ever see; Looking upon us from his skies; A day that took
thy heart from me;
If loving thee still more and more; And still so willing to be blind; I
should the bitter knowledge find; That Time had eaten out the core Of love;
and left the empty rind;
If the poor lifeless words; at last; (The soul gone; that was once so
sweet;) Should cease my eager heart to cheat; And crumble back into the
past; And show the whole a vain deceit;
If I should see thee turn away; And know that prayer; and time; and
pain; Could no more thy lost love regain; Than bid the hours of dying day
Gleam in their mid…day noon again;
If I should loose thy hand; and know That henceforth we must dwell
apart; Since I had seen thy love depart; And only count the hours flow By
the dull throbbing of my heart;
If I should gaze and gaze in vain Into thine eyes so deep and clear; And
read the truth of all my fear Half mixed with pity for my pain; And sorrow
for the vanished year;
If not to grieve thee overmuch; I strove to counterfeit disdain; And
weave me a new life again; Which thy life could not mar; or touch; And so
smile down my bitter pain;
The ghost of my dead Past would rise And mock me; and I could not
dare Look to a future of despair; Or even to the eternal skies; For I should
still be lonely there。
All Truth; all Honour; then would seem Vain clouds; which the first
wind blew by; All Trust; a folly doomed to die; All Life; a useless empty
dream; All Lovesince thine had faileda lie。
But see; thy tender smile has cast My fear away: this thought of mine
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Is treason to my Love and thine; For Love is Life; and Death at last
Crowns it eternal and divine!
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VERSE: RECOLLECTIONS
As strangers; you and I are here; We both as aliens stand; Where once;
in years gone by; I dwelt No stranger in the land。 Then while you gaze on
park and stream; Let me remain apart; And listen to the awakened sound
Of voices in my heart。
Here; where upon the velvet lawn The cedar spreads its shade; And by
the flower…beds all around; Bright roses bloom and fade; Shrill merry
childish laughter rings; And baby voices sweet; And by me; on the path; I
hear The tread of little feet。
Down the dark avenue of limes; Whose perfume loads the air; Whose
boughs are rustling overhead; (For the west wind is there;) I hear the
sound of earnest talk; Warnings and counsels wise; And the quick
questioning that brought Such gentle calm replies。
Still the light bridge hangs o'er the lake; Where broad…leaved lilies lie;
And the cool water shows again The cloud that moves on high; … And one
voice speaks; in tones I thought The past for ever kept; But now I know;
deep in my heart Its echoes only slept。
I hear; within the shady porch; Once more; the measured sound Of the
old ballads that were read; While we sat listening round; The starry
passion…flower still Up the green trellice climbs; The tendrils waving seem
to keep The cadence of the rhymes。
I might have striven; and striven in vain; Such visions to recall; Well
known and yet forgotten; now I see; I hear; them all! The Present pales
before the Past; Who comes with angel wings; As in a dream I stand;
amidst Strange yet familiar things!
Enough; so let us go; mine eyes Are blinded by their tears; A voice
speaks to my soul to…day Of long forgotten years。 And yet the vision in my
heart; In a few hours more; Will fade into the silent past; Silently as
before。
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VERSE: ILLUSION
Where the golden corn is bending; And the singing reapers pass;
Where the chestnut woods are sending Leafy showers upon the grass;
The blue river onward flowing Mingles with its noisy strife; The
murmur of the flowers growing; And the hum of insect life。
I; from that rich plain was gazing Towards the snowy mountains high;
Who their gleaming peaks were raising Up against the purple sky。
And the glory of their shining; Bathed in clouds of rosy light; Set my
weary spirit pining For a home so pure and bright!
So I left the plain; and weary; Fainting; yet with hope sustained; Toiled
through pathways long and dreary Till the mountain top was gained。
Lo! the height that I had taken; As so shining from below; Was a
desolate; forsaken Region of perpetual snow。
I am faint; my feet are bleeding; All my feeble strength is worn; In the
plain no soul is heeding; I am here alone; forlorn。
Lights are shining; bells are tolling; In the busy vale below; Near me
night's black clouds are rolling; Gathering o'er a waste of snow。
So I watch the river winding Through the misty fading plain; Bitter are
the tear…drops blinding; Bitter useless toil and pain … Bitterest of all the
finding That my dream was false and vain!
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VERSE: A VISION
Gloomy and black are the cypress trees; Drearily waileth the chill
night breeze。 The long grass waveth; the tombs are white; And the black
clouds flit o'er the chill moonlight。 Silent is all save the dropping rain;
When slowly there cometh a mourning train; The lone churchyard is dark
and dim; And the mourners raise a funeral hymn:
〃Open; dark grave; and take her; Though we have loved her so; Yet we
must now forsake her; Love will no more awake her: (Oh; bitter woe!)
Open thine arms and take her To rest below!
〃Vain is our mournful weeping; Her gentle life is o'er; Only the worm
is creeping; Where she will soon be sleeping; For evermore … Nor joy nor
love is keeping For her in store!〃
Gloomy and black are the cypress trees; And drearily wave in the chill
night breeze。 The dark clouds part and the heavens are blue; Where the
trembling stars are shining through。 Slowly across the gleaming sky; A
crowd of white angels are passing by。 Like a fleet of swans they float
along; Or the silver notes of a dying song。 Like a cloud of incense their
pinions rise; Fading away up the purple skies。 But hush! for the silent
glory is stirred; By a strain such as earth has never heard:
〃Open; oh Heaven! we bear her; This gentle maiden mild; Earth's
griefs we gladly spare her; From earthly joys we tear her; Still undefiled;
And to thine arms we bear her; Thine own; thy child。
〃Open; oh Heaven! no morrow Will see this joy o'ercast; No pain; no
tears; no sorrow; Her gentle heart will borrow; Sad life is past; Shielded
and safe from sorrow; At home at last。〃
But the vision faded and all was still; On the purple valley and distant
hill。 No sound was there save the wailing breeze; The rain; and the rustling
cypress trees。
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VERSE: PICTURES IN THE