DOWN the street, in a crowd, I hear one singing A strong, sweet song, Singing loud, singing long, As a bold bird flinging Glad notes to the sky -- Notes that I Past my window catch flowing, No one knowing. Revellers devout, Rebel rout, Ye who worship your god in the mad drinking bout, Why come ye this way? Glad singer, thou spendest thy breath Where to-day Dwelleth sorrow And to-morrow Shall be death. One here lieth dying That was even as ye, One that caught pleasure flying, One that knew not regret. He was young, he was free As the wind, as the sea, Upon joy being set, High or low, near or far, He would follow his star. Even now in his weak body flickers The high heart, adventurous and bold; Yet the hot spirit bickers With the flesh growing cold. Though he fail in the night, And forget all delight, He shall cease; but he groweth not old. O sons of all joy, And thou, singer, whose voice is the voice of a boy, When the last word is said O'er him dead, And the earth covers over All that's left of this lover, Thy song shall be sweetest, Thy requiem meetest For this son of all joy, For this man with the heart of a boy. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EPITAPH: FOR MY GRANDMOTHER by COUNTEE CULLEN AN ELEGY UPON THE DEATH OF DOCTOR DONNE, DEAN OF PAUL'S by THOMAS CAREW THE WITCH by MARY ELIZABETH COLERIDGE SONNET: EGYPT by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE MASTER BLACKSMITH by ARNOLD ANDREWS PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 69. AL-MAKUTADIR by EDWIN ARNOLD |