(Maidens' song from St. Winefred's Well) THE LEADEN ECHO HOW to keep -- is there any any, is there none such, nowhere known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, lace, latch or catch or key to keep Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, ... from vanishing away? O is there no frowning of these wrinkles, ranked wrinkles deep, Down? no waving off of these most mournful messengers, still messengers, sad and stealing messengers of grey? No there 's none, there 's none, O no there 's none, Nor can you long be, what you now are, called fair, Do what you may do, what, do what you may, And wisdom is early to despair: Be beginning; since, no, nothing can be done To keep at bay Age and age's evils, hoar hair, Ruck and wrinkle, drooping, dying, death's worst, winding sheets, tombs and worms and tumbling to decay; So be beginning, be beginning to despair. O there 's none; no no no there 's none: Be beginning to despair, to despair, Despair, despair, despair, despair. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...OWEN SEAMAN; ESTABLISHES ENTENE CORDIALE IN MANNER GUY WETMORE CARRYL by LOUIS UNTERMEYER THE SUGAR-PLUM TREE by EUGENE FIELD THE HEATHEN PASS-EE by ARTHUR CLEMENT HILTON RECESSIONAL by RUDYARD KIPLING SONG (2) by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI THE MORAL FABLES: THE LION AND THE MOUSE by AESOP THE GUERDON by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH FRAGMENTS INTENDED FOR DEATH'S JEST-BOOK: SAD AND CHEERFUL SONGS by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES |