ONE by one the old-time fancies Fall like blossoms in the blast; One by one girlhood's romances Fade from present into past. One by one the rosy cloudlets, Tinted with the hues of dawn, Lose the brightness and the beauty That belong alone to morn. Very fair the cherished visions That enchant the halls of youth; Earthly scenes seem then Elysian, And the mirage is as truth. One by one the visions vanish In the light experience brings; But though truth the nureal banish, Still remain the living springs. Though may fade the sparkling fountain Glittering in the morning ray, Still upon life's rugged mountain Streams perennial take their way. Then, my soul, be not disheartened If thy castles fade in air, And thy sunny sky be darkened With unwonted shades of care. Still be thine to choose and cherish All things beautiful and bright, Though thy fancy's garlands perish In earth's disenchanting light. Still be thine to see the rainbow Spanning life's most dreary slope; And to dream of deathless beauty In the garden of thy hope. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ENVOYS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON IN TENEBRIS: 2 by THOMAS HARDY IN A BYE-CANAL by HERMAN MELVILLE AFTER DEATH by FRANCES ISABEL PARNELL THE FLIGHT OF LOVE by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY THE CHILD IN A GARDEN by MARIA ABDY A SCHOOL ECLOGUE by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD CLIO, NINE ECLOGUES IN HONOUR OF NINE VIRTUES: 6. OF PATIENCE by WILLIAM BASSE |