As leaden as the aftermath of wine Is the dead mirth of my delirious days; And as wine waxes strong with age, so weighs More heavily the past on my decline. My path is dim. The future's troubled sea Foretokens only toil and grief to me. But oh! my friends, I do not ask to die! I crave more life, more dreams, more agony! Midmost the care, the panic, the distress, I know that I shall taste of happiness. Once more I shall be drunk on strains divine, Be moved to tears by musings that are mine; And haply when the last sad hour draws nigh, Love with a farewell smile may gild the sky. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON THE PROSPECT OF PLANTING ARTS AND LEARNING IN AMERICA by GEORGE BERKELEY ON THE LIFE OF MAN by WALTER RALEIGH IMPROMPTU LINES ON JULY FOURTH by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS IDENTITY by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH VILLANELLE by JOACHIM DU BELLAY FLORENTINE INGRATITUDE by WILLIAM BLAKE TO A FRIEND IN THE NAVY, SICK AT HOME by JOHN GARDINER CALKINS BRAINARD |