MONTGOMERY! true, the common lot Of mortals lies in Lethe's wave; Yet some shall never be forgot, Some shall exist beyond the grave. 'Unknown the region of his birth,' The hero rolls the tide of war; Yet not unknown his martial worth, Which glares a meteor from afar. His joy or grief, his weal or woe, Perchance may 'scape the page of fame; Yet nations now unborn will know The record of his deathless name. The patriot's and the poet's frame Must share the common tomb of all: Their glory will not sleep the same; That will arise, though empires fall. The lustre of a beauty's eye Assumes the ghastly stare of death; The fair, the brave, the good must die, And sink the yawning grave beneath. Once more the speaking eye revives, Still beaming through the lover's strain; For Petrarch's Laura still survives: She died, but ne'er will die again. The rolling seasons pass away, And Time, untiring, waves his wing; Whilst honour's laurels ne'er decay, But bloom in fresh, unfading spring. All, all must sleep in grim repose, Collected in the silent tomb; The old and young, with friends and foes, Festering alike in shrouds, consume. The mouldering marble lasts its day, Yet falls at length an useless fane; To ruin's ruthless fangs a prey, The wrecks of pillar'd pride remain. What, though the sculpture be destroy'd, From dark oblivion meant to guard; A bright renown shall be enjoy'd By those whose virtues claim reward. Then do not say the common lot Of all lies deep in Lethe's wave; Some few who ne'er will be forgot Shall burst the bondage of the grave. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AFFIRMATION by LOUIS UNTERMEYER THE LAST RESERVATION by WALTER LEARNED GRAY MOOD by MARJORIE AKERMAN B. THE PENDULUM by JURGIS BALTRUSHAITIS THE KING OF YVETOT by PIERRE JEAN DE BERANGER GOD AND HIS MARTYRS by CHAIM NACHMAN BIALIK |