Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ON THE EPHEMERALNESS OF BEAUTY, by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ON THE EPHEMERALNESS OF BEAUTY, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: O cruel thou, while yet the best
Last Line: "why have I lost my pristine pep?"
Alternate Author Name(s): F. P. A.
Subject(s): Beauty


O CRUEL thou, while yet the best
Is thine of Beauty's fair bequest,
When that thy pride shall have a fall,
Thy locks decrease to none at all;
When pale hath grown thy rosy cheek,
And dull become thy glance, and weak—
Whene'er thou gazest in the glass,
Then shalt thou, sighing, say: "Alas!
Why, when my heart was young and gay
Lacked I the wisdom of to-day?
Or, now that faltering is my step,
Why have I lost my pristine pep?"





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net