O DIM forsaken mirror! How many a stately throng Hath o'er thee gleamed, in vanished hours Of the wine-cup and the song! The song hath left no echo; The bright wine hath been quaffed, And hushed is every silvery voice That lightly here hath laughed. O mirror, lonely mirror, Thou of the silent hall! Thou hast been flushed with beauty's bloom -- Is this, too, vanished all? It is, with the scattered garlands Of triumphs long ago; With the melodies of buried lyres, With the faded rainbow's glow: And for all the gorgeous pageants, For the glance of gem and plume, For lamp, and harp, and rosy wreath, And vase of rich perfume. Now, dim, forsaken mirror, Thou givest but faintly back The quiet stars, and the sailing moon, On her solitary track. And thus with man's proud spirit Thou tellest me 'twill be, When the forms and hues of this world fade From his memory, as from thee: And his heart's long-troubled waters At last in stillness lie, Reflecting but the images Of the solemn world on high. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ODE TO SPRING by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON ON THE ORIGIN OF EVIL by JOHN BYROM TELL'S BIRTHPLACE by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE A NOCTURNAL REVERIE by ANNE FINCH FATA MORGANA by JOHANNA AMBROSIUS THE POET AND THE BIRD; A FABLE by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |