Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE PARTING DAY, by EDITH WHARTON Poet's Biography First Line: Some busy hands have brought to light Last Line: Have aged my heart since that good-by. Subject(s): Farewell; Parting | ||||||||
I. SOME busy hands have brought to light, And laid beneath my eye, The dress I wore that afternoon You came to say good-by. About it still there seems to cling Some fragrance unexpressed, The ghostly odor of the rose I wore upon my breast; And, subtler than all flower-scent, The sacred garment holds The memory of that parting day Close hidden in its folds. The rose is dead, and you are gone, But to the dress I wore The rose's smell, the thought of you, Are wed forevermore. II. That day you came to say good-by (A month ago! It seems a year!) How calm I was! I met your eye, And in my own you saw no tear. You heard me laugh and talk and jest, And lightly grieve that you should go; You saw the rose upon my breast, But not the breaking heart below. And when you came and took my hand, It scarcely fluttered in your hold. Alas, you did not understand! For you were blind, and I was cold. And now you cannot see my tears, And now you cannot hear my cry. A month ago? Nay, years and years Have aged my heart since that good-by. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE THREE CHILDREN by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN STUDY #2 FOR B.B.L. by JUNE JORDAN WATCHING THE NEEDLEBOATS AT SAN SABBA by JAMES JOYCE SESTINA: TRAVEL NOTES by WELDON KEES |
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