MARY'S LAMENT by ANONYMOUS

My heart it will break, my eyes they will weep,
For they've buried my true love, far, far in the deep;
Where the ocean is deepest, and loudest does roar,
For they've buried my true love, far, far from the shore.

My mind it is dark, my soul it is sad,
And some say that Mary is mad,
But her reason remains, no madness has she,
For she knows that her true love lies deep in the sea.

Alas! from the day that I saw him depart,
When a pang of despair wrung wildly my heart,
O weep not, my Mary, O weep not, he said,
As in anguish he rais'd from my bosom his head.

No more on my bosom that head shall recline,
Nor his lips press so softly and sweetly on mine,
For unshrouded he lies on a sand-bank to sleep,
And his lips are all white with the salt of the deep.

Roll on, thou dark ocean, ye waves rush along,
Ye sea-birds scream louder, sing mermaids your song,
For William ye cannot arouse from his bed,
For unbroken and still is the sleep on his head.

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...