Classic and Contemporary Poetry
BYRON'S OAK AT NEWSTEAD ABBEY, by TIMOTHY THOMAS FORTUNE First Line: The little twig that byron planted here Last Line: While byron's fame through endless time will reign! Subject(s): Byron, George Gordon, Lord (1788-1824); Newstead Abbey, England; Oak Trees; Poetry & Poets; Byron, George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron | ||||||||
Through thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle; Thou, the hall of my fathers, art gone to decay; In the once smiling garden, the hemlock and thistle Have choked up the rose that once bloomed in the way. Lord Byron (1803) The little twig that Byron planted here, In manhood's hope and early prime, The twig he gave his constant love and care In Britain's far-famed classic clime, Has grown to be a towering, stalwart tree; -- But Byron, master mind, O where is he! And Newstead Abbey, where he lived and dreamed, Still marks the sacred precincts well; But long ago the stranger's banners streamed O'er towers where Byron's heart did swell! His lofty oak, with arms outstretched to God, Speaks for the Bard -- as Missolonghi's sod. Old Newstead and its giant oak may stand The fury of the storm and age, But they must both decay, ere Byron's wand Shall lose its power of love and rage! Ere from the human heart shall fade away The magic spell he breathed in life's short day! I love him well, this wayward child of song, Whose life in all was passing strange; With mind so bitter sweet, so weak, so strong -- With power to soothe, to charm, estrange; -- Within his grasp the harp was made to flow The sweetest, saddest notes the heart can know! And he will live when Newstead and its tree Have crumbled back to mother dust; His name is linked with song and liberty, And time such fame can never rust! E'en Albion's glorious name must pale and wane, While Byron's fame through endless time will reign! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MEMORIAL VERSES by MATTHEW ARNOLD FAREWELL TO HIS WIFE by GEORGE GORDON BYRON BYRON by CINCINNATUS HEINE MILLER A PICTURE AT NEWSTEAD by MATTHEW ARNOLD OFF MESOLONGI by ALFRED AUSTIN LAST DAYS OF BYRON by CHARLOTTE FISKE BATES THE SEA REPLIES TO BYRON by GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON IRREGULAR ODE, ON THE DEATH OF LORD BYRON by CALEB C. COLTON BARTOW BLACK by TIMOTHY THOMAS FORTUNE |
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