Good-bye, old Post! It is decreed That thou must vanish from the scene; Hereafter there will be no need For thee within the Engadine; To-morrow the supplanting train Will swiftly glide from height to height; O Postman, sound one parting strain, -- A farewell to the summer night! Blow, bugle! From on high The mountain peaks reply: Good-bye, old Post, good-bye! What means that crowd within the square? And this black flag on every horse? Why plays the band a plaintive air To celebrate thy final course? Can there be some who still regret The passing of a thing so slow? Is there a little pity yet For simple ways of long ago? Sound, bugle! In reply Tears fall from many an eye: Good-bye, old Post, good-bye! The last pathetic driver stands Bewildered by the dreaded end, -- His worn whip still within his hands, As if it were his only friend; The horses mutely wonder why They now are tenderly caressed, And why the strangers, passing by, All wish for them a well-earned rest. Call, bugle! Far and nigh The echoing cliffs reply: Good-bye, old Post, good-bye! The village magistrate appears, As slowly strikes the midnight hour, And rouses oft-repeated cheers By prophecies of wealth and power; Why should Samaden, magnified, Lament her quaint, romantic past? With time, alas! all tears are dried, And what is old can never last! Cease, bugle! For reply How few now even sigh: Good-bye, old Post, good-bye! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PARAGRAPHS: 15 by HAYDEN CARRUTH FUGUE FOR A DROWNED GIRL by JAMES GALVIN FAITH by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON DOMESDAY BOOK: THE GOVERNOR by EDGAR LEE MASTERS SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: DIPPOLD THE OPTICIAN by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |