O DIM forsaken mirror! How many a stately throng Hath o'er thee gleamed, in vanished hours Of the wine-cup and the song! The song hath left no echo; The bright wine hath been quaffed, And hushed is every silvery voice That lightly here hath laughed. O mirror, lonely mirror, Thou of the silent hall! Thou hast been flushed with beauty's bloom -- Is this, too, vanished all? It is, with the scattered garlands Of triumphs long ago; With the melodies of buried lyres, With the faded rainbow's glow: And for all the gorgeous pageants, For the glance of gem and plume, For lamp, and harp, and rosy wreath, And vase of rich perfume. Now, dim, forsaken mirror, Thou givest but faintly back The quiet stars, and the sailing moon, On her solitary track. And thus with man's proud spirit Thou tellest me 'twill be, When the forms and hues of this world fade From his memory, as from thee: And his heart's long-troubled waters At last in stillness lie, Reflecting but the images Of the solemn world on high. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...JOHNNY APPLESEED by EDGAR LEE MASTERS THE PRIMROSE by ROBERT HERRICK LONE DOG by IRENE RUTHERFORD MCLEOD SONNET: 42 by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY CHRISTMAS CAROL by SARA TEASDALE THE ENTHUSIAST, OR, THE LOVER OF NATURE by JOSEPH WARTON |