Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE YOUNG THAT DIED IN BEAUTY, by WILLIAM BARNES Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: If souls should only sheen so bright Last Line: Than when they died in beauty. Subject(s): Beauty; Death; Youth; Dead, The | ||||||||
If souls should only sheen so bright In heaven as in e'thly light, An' nothèn better wer the ceäse, How comely still, in sheäpe an' feäce, Would many reach thik happy pleäce, The hopevul souls that in their prime Ha' seem'd a-took avore their time, The young that died in beauty. But when woone's lim's ha' lost their strangth A-tweilèn drough a lifetime's langth, An' over cheäks a-growèn wold The slowly-weästèn years ha' roll'd The deep'nèn wrinkle's hollow vwold; When life is ripe, then death do call Vor less ov thought, than when do vall On young vo'ks in their beauty. But pinèn souls, wi' heads a-hung In heavy sorrow vor the young, The sister ov the brother dead, The father wi' a child a-vled, The husband when his bride ha' laid Her head at rest, noo mwore to turn, Have all a-vound the time to murn Vor youth that died in beauty. An' yeet the church, where praÿer do rise Vrom thoughtvul souls, wi' downcast eyes, An' village greens, a-beät half beäre By dancers that do meet, an' weär Such merry looks at feäst an' feäir, Do gather under leätest skies, Their bloomèn cheäks an' sparklèn eyes, Though young ha' died in beauty. But still the dead shall mwore than keep The beauty ov their eärly sleep; Where comely looks shall never weär Uncomely, under tweil an' ceäre. The feäir at death be always feäir, Still feäir to livers' thought an' love, An' feäirer still to God above, Than when they died in beauty. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A FRIEND KILLED IN THE WAR by ANTHONY HECHT FOR JAMES MERRILL: AN ADIEU by ANTHONY HECHT TARANTULA: OR THE DANCE OF DEATH by ANTHONY HECHT CHAMPS D?ÇÖHONNEUR by ERNEST HEMINGWAY NOTE TO REALITY by TONY HOAGLAND A WINTER NIGHT by WILLIAM BARNES |
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