NO, do not smile at her as she goes past Tricked out in all her youthful finery, For with her goes eternal tragedy— She fights a battle she must lose at last! And gallantly she goes upon her way— Her graceful figure is erect and neat; Her short skirt shows a pair of dainty feet; In her dark hair there is no touch of gray. Her hat tips girlishly upon her head; There are no wrinkles yet about her eyes; One feels there might be, but for artistries— Her cheeks and lips are somewhat over-red. But do not smile and say as she goes by: "Aha! She would be young, she who is old!" Read, rather, in her eyes, fear, strange and cold— For she has looked upon her enemy! That enemy who is the cruelest, The greatest, strongest of the conquerors! The oldest battle of them all is hers, And she is tired, tired—she would rest! She would give up, but she still fights—ah,yes! For something drives her on form day to day; For this she strives to keep old Time at bay— That in Love's eyes she glimpses—weariness! So—do not smile at her as she goes past, For well, she knows that she must lose at last! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IS YOUR TOWN NINEVEH? by MARIANNE MOORE A LETTER FROM ITALY by JOSEPH ADDISON THE YOUTH OF NATURE: WORDSWORTH'S COUNTRY by MATTHEW ARNOLD HYPOCRISY by SAMUEL BUTLER (1612-1680) UPON JULIA'S BREASTS by ROBERT HERRICK SONNET ON SITTING DOWN TO READ KING LEAR ONCE AGAIN by JOHN KEATS |