I KNEW thee not! then wherefore gaze Upon thy silent shadow there, Which so imperfectly portrays The form thy features used to wear? Yet have I often look'd at thee, As if those lips could speak to me. I knew thee not! and thou couldst know, At best, but little more of one Whose pilgrimage on earth below Commenced, just ere thine own was done; For few and fleeting days were thine, To hope or fear for lot of mine. Yet few and fleeting as they were, Fancy and feeling picture this, They prompted many a fervent prayer, Witness'd, perchance, a parting kiss; And might not kiss, and prayer, from thee, At such a period, profit me? Whether they did or not, I owe At least this tribute to thy worth; Though little all I can bestow, Yet fond affection gives it birth; And prompts me, as thy shade I view, To bless thee, whom I never knew! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NOT OURS THE VOWS by BERNARD BARTON LIFE by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE IN THE VALLEY OF THE ELWY by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS DISAPPOINTED by JOHANNA AMBROSIUS THE WELCOME by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |