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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


ISLE OF BEAUTY by THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY

First Line: SHADES OF EVENING CLOSE NOT O'ER US
Last Line: ISLE OF BEAUTY, FARE THEE WELL!
Subject(s): BEAUTY;

SHADES of evening, close not o'er us,
Leave our lonely bark awhile!
Morn, alas! will not restore us
Yonder dim and distant isle;
Still my fancy can discover
Sunny spots where friends may dwell;
Darker shadows round us hover,
Isle of Beauty, fare thee well!

'T is the hour when happy faces
Smile around the taper's light;
Who will fill our vacant places?
Who will sing our songs to-night?
Through the mist that floats above us,
Faintly sounds the vesper bell,
Like a voice from those who love us,
Breathing, fondly, fare thee well!

When the waves are round me breaking,
As I pace the deck alone,
And my eye in vain is seeking
Some green leaf to rest upon;
What would not I give to wander
Where my old companions dwell?
Absence makes the heart grow fonder,
Isle of Beauty, fare thee well!



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