All Souls' Night
Epilogue to 'A Vision'
MIDNIGHT has come, and the great Christ Church Bell
And may a lesser bell sound through the room;
And it is All Souls' Night,
And two long glasses brimmed with muscatel
Bubble upon the table. A ghost may come;
For it is a ghost's right,
His element is so fine
Being sharpened by his death,
To drink from the wine-breath
While our gross palates drink from the whole wine.
I need some mind that, if the cannon sound
From every quarter of the world, can stay
Wound in mind's pondering
As mummies in the mummy-cloth are wound;
Because I have a marvellous thing to say,
A certain marvellous thing
None but the living mock,
Though not for sober ear;
It may be all that hear
Should laugh and weep an hour upon the clock.
Horton's the first I call. He loved strange thought
And knew that sweet extremity of pride
That's called platonic love,
And that to such a pitch of passion wrought
Nothing could bring him, when his lady died,
Anodyne for his love.
Words were but wasted breath;
One dear hope had he:
The inclemency
Of that or the next winter would be death.
Two thoughts were so mixed up I could not tell
Whether of her or God he thought the most,
But think that his mind's eye,
When upward turned, on one sole image fell;
And that a slight companionable ghost,
Wild with divinity,
Had so lit up the whole
Immense miraculous house
The Bible promised us,
It seemed a gold-fish swimming in a bowl.
On Florence Emery I call the next,
Who finding the first wrinkles on a face
Admired and beautiful,
And knowing that the future would be vexed
With 'minished beauty, multiplied commonplace,
preferred to teach a school
Away from neighbour or friend,
Among dark skins, and there
permit foul years to wear
Hidden from eyesight to the unnoticed end.
Before that end much had she ravelled out
From a discourse in figurative speech
By some learned Indian
On the soul's journey. How it is whirled about,
Wherever the orbit of the moon can reach,
Until it plunge into the sun;
And there, free and yet fast,
Being both Chance and Choice,
Forget its broken toys
And sink into its own delight at last.
And I call up MacGregor from the grave,
For in my first hard springtime we were friends.
Although of late estranged.
I thought him half a lunatic, half knave,
And told him so, but friendship never ends;
And what if mind seem changed,
And it seem changed with the mind,
When thoughts rise up unbid
On generous things that he did
And I grow half contented to be blind!
He had much industry at setting out,
Much boisterous courage, before loneliness
Had driven him crazed;
For meditations upon unknown thought
Make human intercourse grow less and less;
They are neither paid nor praised.
but he d object to the host,
The glass because my glass;
A ghost-lover he was
And may have grown more arrogant being a ghost.
But names are nothing. What matter who it be,
So that his elements have grown so fine
The fume of muscatel
Can give his sharpened palate ecstasy
No living man can drink from the whole wine.
I have mummy truths to tell
Whereat the living mock,
Though not for sober ear,
For maybe all that hear
Should laugh and weep an hour upon the clock.
Such thought -- such thought have I that hold it tight
Till meditation master all its parts,
Nothing can stay my glance
Until that glance run in the world's despite
To where the damned have howled away their hearts,
And where the blessed dance;
Such thought, that in it bound
I need no other thing,
Wound in mind's wandering
As mummies in the mummy-cloth are wound.
poem by William Butler Yeats
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Ghost Bear, page 1 of 4
Long ago, in a small village
Where the Great River meets the
Limitless Salt Sea, lived Muin Manitu,
An aging shaman.
Ghost Bear had two good wives
Who gave him four fine daughters
And many grand-children.
But now both wives were dead.
Ghost Bear was getting old,
So old that he made his death song
Mumbling it often under his breath
So he would not forget it.
One night, Raven came to Ghost Bear
In a dream, bringing an important message.
“You must leave wigwam and village,
before the sun rises again.”
“This must be my time, ” thought
Ghost Bear, “My time to die.
I am glad. It is a good time
to leave this world.”
And so, taking only his knife and
His Medicine Bag, Ghost Bear pushed
His canoe out into the river while
All the village slept.
“I will go west on the Great River, ”
Thought Ghost Bear to himself, “Then,
When it is my time to go, I will be
pointed in the right direction.”
All morning long, Ghost Bear paddled
Westward on the Great River, and when
Sun was directly above him, he saw
A raven flying high above.
“I am going true, ” he thought, “Raven
Has sent me an unmistakeable sign.”
And Ghost Bear kept paddling with
Neither food nor drink.
As day became night, Ghost Bear
Continued on, for the full moon was bright
And showed him the right path on the
Great River clearly, brightly.
poem by John Bliven Morin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Small Station
I still remember the letter you sent to me
It told the words that I needed
I thought those promises will stay forever
I thought I finally found my one
But I can’t recognize you now
Do you still the same guy who whispers me love
And you still the same one who kisses goodbye
Or it’s only the world that changes so fast
Left me with naive dream when it’s actually over
I have hurt once when you came to my life
You gave me the sun when I thought it was rain
I thought my wound has been closed
I thought at last I finally got the right way
But I was fooled again
Could it be the same guy who gives me roses
And it the same guy who throws those thorns
Or it’s only the world I hardly realize
That feeling is the ghost that coldly disappear
poem by Maria Sudibyo
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What Then?
His chosen comrades thought at school
He must grow a famous man;
He thought the same and lived by rule,
All his twenties crammed with toil;
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'What then?'
Everything he wrote was read,
After certain years he won
Sufficient money for his need,
Friends that have been friends indeed;
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'What then?'
All his happier dreams came true –
A small old house, wife, daughter, son,
Grounds where plum and cabbage grew,
Poets and Wits about him drew;
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'What then?'
'The work is done,' grown old he thought,
'According to my boyish plan;
Let the fools rage, I swerved in naught,
Something to perfection brought;'
But louder sang that ghost, 'What then?'
poem by William Butler Yeats
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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What's The Use Of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)
(words and music by Bubsy Meyers)
[DV = dark voice, SV = squeaky voice]
DV: Boy, you listen to your old Pappy
SV: Yeah, Pappy
DV: And stop drinking so much
SV: I'm-I'm ain't been doing so much drinking, Pappy
DV: Shut up, boy! You drink all day
and you drink all night
and you know, son, that that ain't right
SV: Oh Pappy, you just give me a chance. I, I can, I...
DV: Shut up, boy!
Boy, you're lookin' thin as a twig
SV: I know that...
DV: Look likes your dear old Pappy - about to blow your wig
SV: Oh I'm gonna blow my wig, Pappy
What's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
Oh Sam done something fine
When he bought that good whiskey, beer and wine
I love my whiskey and I love my gin
Every time you see me I'm in my sin
So what's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
DV: I went out last night about half past one
Thought I'd whoop it up a little and have some fun
I got me a half pint about half past two
Mmm, mmm, the way I was feeling you know what I wanna do
Got me a pint about half past four
Felt so good, went out and got me some more
Got me a quart about half past five
Boy, that was so nice didn't know if I was dead or alive
So what's the use of getting sober
If you're gonna get drunk again
Oh Sam done something fine
When he bought that good whiskey, beer and wine
I love my whiskey and I love my gin
Every time you see me I'm in my sin
So what's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
Well I've been thinking
But I keep drinking
I guess I'm 'bout lose my mind
(C) Leeds Music Ltd.
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cant Get Her Out
I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
Everybodyd try to tell
But no I wouldnt listen
Id go ahead, put my arm around her
I had to squeeze her, I had to kiss her
Now I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
Oh I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
If I said go out shed daydream
Didnt mean a thing to me
Its the kind of thing I thought might never happen
You see I thought I was invincible, I couldnt see why
You cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
No cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
Its the kind of thing boy, you think could never happen
My friends would say, stay way from her
I said, boy, have you kissed it? boy, have you seen her?
I could let her hear their words
No I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
Cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
I cant get her out
I cant get her out of my mind
I cant get her out
Cant get her out of my mind
song performed by by Tom Petty
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If You Could Read My Mind
If you could read my mind
If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
bout a ghost from a wishin well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as Im a ghost that you cant see
If I could read your mind love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind that drugstores sell
When you reach the part where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
But heroes often fail
And you wont read that book again
Because the endings just too hard to take
Id walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three way script
Enter number two
A movie queen to play the scene
Of bringing all the good things out in me
But for now love, lets be real
* I never thought I could act this way *
And Ive got to say that I just dont get it
I dont know where we went wrong
But the feelins gone
And I just cant get it back
If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
bout a ghost from a wishin well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
But stories always end
And if you read between the lines
Youll know that Im just tryin to understand
The feelins that you lack
I never thought I could feel this way
And Ive got to say that I just to get it
I dont know where we went wrong
But the feelins gone
And I just cant get it back
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If You Could Read My Mind
If you could read my mind
If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
bout a ghost from a wishin well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as Im a ghost that you cant see
If I could read your mind love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind that drugstores sell
When you reach the part where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
But heroes often fail
And you wont read that book again
Because the endings just too hard to take
Id walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three way script
Enter number two
A movie queen to play the scene
Of bringing all the good things out in me
But for now love, lets be real
* I never thought I could act this way *
And Ive got to say that I just dont get it
I dont know where we went wrong
But the feelins gone
And I just cant get it back
If you could read my mind love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
bout a ghost from a wishin well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
But stories always end
And if you read between the lines
Youll know that Im just tryin to understand
The feelins that you lack
I never thought I could feel this way
And Ive got to say that I just to get it
I dont know where we went wrong
But the feelins gone
And I just cant get it back
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Thought I Saw You Last Night
Im not easily scared by things that go bump in the night
Theres not many things that give me a fright
I can walk down a lonely block
And not alot can make my old knees knock
But theres one thing that scares me the most
Its when I think I see a ghost
And I thought I saw you last night
Ive been lately thinking about oujia board
And maybe contacting souls seated by the lord
Cause all the shadows on my street
Bring the sounds of shuffeling feet
But theres one thing that scares me the most
Its when I think I see a ghost
And I thought I saw you last night
Threw salt over my shoulder
I knocked on wood
Dont step on cracks
But it does no good
I drink bourbon to calm my nerves
Read an old book and chant some verse
Hold hot coals in the middle of my fists
Take advice from my exorcist
Hallelujah hail mary
Holy moly this is scary
For instance last night I went to a scary movie
And I tried real hard not to let it get to me
But I just kept looking over my shoulder
The wind got hands and I got colder
But theres one thing that scares me the most
Its when I think I see a ghost
And I thought I saw you last night
Im not easily scared by things that go bump in the night
song performed by by Jewel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What's The Use Of Getting Sober
Dv = deep voice, sv = squeaky voice
Dv: boy, you listen to your old pappy
Sv: yeah, pappy
Dv: and stop drinking so much
Sv: i'm-i'm ain't been doing so much drinking, pappy
Dv: shut up, boy! you drink all day and you drink all night and you know, son, that that ain't right
Sv: oh pappy, you just give me a chance. i, i can, i . . .
Dv: shut up, boy! boy, you're lookin' thin as a twig
Sv: i know that . . .
Dv: look likes your dear old pappy - about to blow your wig
Sv: oh i'm gonna blow my wig, pappy
What's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
Oh sam done something fine
When he bought that good whiskey, beer and wine
I love my whiskey and i love my gin
Every time you see me i'm in my sin
So what's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
Dv:
I went out last night about half past one
Thought i'd whoop it up a little and have some fun
I got me a half pint about half past two
Mmm, mmm, the way i was feeling you know what i wanna do
Got me a pint about half past four
Felt so good, went out and got me some more
Got me a quart about half past five
Boy, that was so nice didn't know if i was dead or alive
So what's the use of getting sober if you're gonna get drunk again
Oh sam done something fine
When he bought that good whiskey, beer and wine
I love my whiskey and i love my gin
Every time you see me i'm in my sin
So what's the use of getting sober
When you're gonna get drunk again
Well i've been thinking
But i keep drinking
I guess i'm 'bout lose my mind
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Thoughts
Thought in the eyes,
The ears.
Thought in mind,
The brain,
Thought in heart,
The soul.
Great thought is great
when it becomes great deeds.
With my thoughts within
Building my world within
Learning with thought;
Is great learning wisdom.
Learning without thought,
Is opportunity lost.
Thought for others
Thought for God
Thought for good
Thought for God’s blessing
Thoughts teach me,
Thoughts educate me,
Thoughts clarify me,
Thoughts enlighten me.
Thoughts make me wise
Thoughts make me patience
Thoughts make me trust others
Thoughts make me clam.
Thoughts before act
Is smart and wise
Act before thoughts
Is stupid and foolish
That’s my thoughts
They make thinking clear
They make belief deepen
They make confidence high.
In thoughts, my world
In my world, make my thoughts.
In thoughts, my words
In my words, make my speech
It’s my thoughts count
Counting my thoughts
To endless counting thoughts
Thinking the thoughts endlessly
My thoughts and thoughts again.
poem by Lawrence Hiung
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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You Shouldve Told Me
I wouldnt call in the midnight hour
I wouldnt tuck you in and turn the nightlight out
You would walk through the door and I wouldnt say hi
I would walk out the door and wouldnt say bye-bye
Its funny that I never thought about it that way
I never knew the things that I did not say
But you were lonely and you were hungry
And I was living in my own world
Thinking Im a perfect lady
You shouldve told me
I wasnt small enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt call enough
But you led me on
And kept me going
And we never shouldve wasted this time
You shouldve told me
I wasnt wild enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt smile enough
What you had in my mind
Made me lose my mind
And we never shouldve wasted this time
I was in bed Id help you take your clothes off
When it was time for work didnt see you off
When your tense didnt give a massage
I never told you I think youre hot
Its funny I never thought about it that way
Never knew the things I did not say
But you were lonely and you were hungry
And I was living in my own world
Thinking Im a perfect lady
You shouldve told me
I wasnt small enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt call enough
But you led me on
And kept me going
And we never shouldve wasted this time
You shouldve told me
I wasnt wild enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt smile enough
What you had in my mind
Made me lose my mind
And we never shouldve wasted this time
When you thought you had to lie
Why didnt you come and tell me why?
Didnt you see those tears I cried?
Oh why?
You shouldve told me
I wasnt small enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt call enough
But you led me on
And kept me going
And we never shouldve wasted this time
You shouldve told me
I wasnt wild enough
You shouldve told me
I didnt smile enough
What you had in my mind
Made me lose my mind
And we never shouldve wasted this time
song performed by by Kelly Price
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Hear Your Voice
So many nights thought that I was doing fine
Thought that time had chased your picture from my mind
So many times thought my heart was finally strong
Now I find this heart of mine was so wrong
I thought Id finally learned to get on with my life
I hear your voice-(call)
Your voice (call)
Your voice (call)
The way it used to do
I feel my heart (fall)
I try to keep you off my mind
But every time I do, I hear your voice
So many days I thought that I could love again
But any fool in love would know thats all pretend
You always seem to find your way
Back in my dreams and I cant break free
Chorus
You know I tried so many times just to forget you
Ive tried to walk away from you
Oh girl, its just no use
I hear your voice (call)
Your voice (call)
Your voice (call)
Calling me.. calling me the way...
I feel my heart (fall)
I try to keep you off my mind
But every time I do,
I hear your voice
I hear your voice
I hear your voice
song performed by by Lionel Richie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Farewell
Farewell, my sweet lady, I bid you adieu.
Like yesterday's sunset you've passed from my view.
You said I'd forget you, how could I, my dear?
My love has been buried, my heart was its bier.
My memory will hold you as flower and book;
Pressed petals in pages from love's garden nook.
And when I grow older, as all of us must,
I'll reach through the past, through mind's rubble and dust,
To draw to the foreground your vision, my light,
To hold in my mind's eye your womanly sight.
Tumultulus din, oh, hellhoundings of thought!
What void in my reason has loneliness wrought? !
I grieve by your headstone completely undone,
My living is over before it's begun.
Think not of the dark side, see only her face;
Think only her bright side, her passion, her grace.
And, when I grow older and nothing remains,
When I have no purpose, when nothing pertains,
I'll sit by the fireside, my thoughts in the flame,
Reliving your beauty, reciting your name.
Your spirit of love will rekindle my soul
And, I like a feather well neigh to my goal,
Unfettered by grief and this mouldering frame,
Will rise on the breath of my Lord to reclaim,
Our spiritual youth and the years that were lost.
I wait for the day that the threshold is crossed.
When there on the banks of the river of life,
I'll find you again, my sweet lover, my wife.
Farewell, my dear lady, 'till our rendezvous.
A long, and the last, and a saddened adeiu.
poem by Lynn W. Petty
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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If You Could Read My Mind
(gordon lightfoot)
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old-time movie
About a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free as long as Im a ghost that you cant see
If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind that drugstores sell
When you reach the part
Where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
The hero often fails
And you wont read that book again
Because the endings just too hard to take
Ill walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three-way script
Enter number two
A movie queen to play the scene
Are bringing all the good things out in me
But for now love, lets be real
I never thought I could act this way
And Ive got to say, I just dont get it
I dont know where we went wrong
But the feelings gone and I just cant get it back
song performed by by Olivia Newton-John
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Thought Of You
It actually frightens me
The though of you
Because there are countless things
That it can make me do
The thought of you can make my heart race
It can leave me restless at night
Can make me fidgety to the point where I pace
The thought of you can leave me buzzing with an unknown high
It can form a pit in my stomach
And can leave me love sick and sighing
The thought of you above all other thoughts in my mind shines
It can send shivers down my spine
And make me long for you to be mine
The thought of you can take my breath away
The thought of you from my mind never really strays
But even though the thought of you can send me flying sky high
I'm not gonna lie
I haven't forgotten my heartaching past
Which is why part of me hopes this infatuation doesn't last
But until the thought of you finally fades away
I guess I'll enjoy it
After all
Who knows how long the thought of you will be here to stay
poem by Tiger Lily Love
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Then I Met You
Then I met you
Thought that Id be happy
Going to be so happy
Living life alone and never sharing anything
Thought that I was finished
Thought that I was complete
Thought that I was whole instead of being half of something
Thought that I was growing
Growing older, wiser
Understanding why this world held nothing for my spirit
Thought that I was destined
Destined to be nothing
Destined to be nothing in this world and then I met you.
I met you
Thought that God had failed me
Thought my prayers were useless
Thought that he would never give the chance for me to praise him
Thought the book was written
Thought the game had ended
Thought the song was sung and I could never sing another
Thought my faith was misplaced
Thought my back was broken
Broken by a weight that I was never fit to carry
Thought I knew this city
Thought I knew all about it
And then one night I went to morningside and you were waiting
I met you
song performed by by Proclaimers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Journey
I was hovering above my body
when someone shouted my name.
there was no living soul around,
but I wasn't alone just the same.
I lost sight of my former self
and I couldn't see the ground.
The sky was no longer above me,
but transparencies were all around.
The transparencies were ghost like figures,
who like me appeared to float.
They were all talking with each other,
but they never actually spoke.
The situation is completely mind boggling,
how is all this possible?
It's got to be different dimension,
an existence in an unearthly bubble.
It's a world entirely without substance,
where everyone moves without walking.
Everything comes like second nature,
even speaking without talking.
I find it strange that I haven't recognised anyone,
no acquaintances, friends, or kin.
I thought the afterlife promised more than this,
perhaps this is a lobby for those who have just flown in.
A transparency said I should go one way
and another said I definitely should not.
Does it really matter which way I go I thought,
when someone said, not a lot.
A young female appeared beside me,
she smiled and told me to follow.
Where are we going to? I thought,
she answered, back to a life of pain and sorrow.
poem by Orlando Belo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Thinker
How long are my thoughts alive?
Only until they move on.For new ones enter my mind each day
and the old ones are gone.
The simpler the thought,
the longer the stay.
Complex thinking is not for me.
I simply push it away.
I wake up sleepy
with eyes still closed
but my mind comes alive with thought
and then I am exposed
to multiple thoughts that surface again
and I've not even started my day.
Sometimes I wish to be thought-free
but I know that's not my way.
For thinkers are edgy, never complete
until a thought's on their mind.
And so I've learned to accept these things
and let them slowly unwind.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Thought
Into the skies, one summer's day,
I sent a little Thought away;
Up to where, in the blue round,
The sun sat shining without sound.
Then my Thought came back to me.—
Little Thought, what did you see
In the regions whence you come?
And when I spoke, my Thought was dumb.
But she breathed of what was there,
In the pure bright upper air;
And, because my Thought so shone,
I knew she had been shone upon.
Next, by night a Thought I sent
Up into the firmament;
When the eager stars were out,
And the still moon shone about.
And my Thought went past the moon
In between the stars, but soon
Held her breath and durst not stir,
For the fear that covered her;
Then she thought, in this demur:
'Dare I look beneath the shade,
Into where the worlds are made;
Where the suns and stars are wrought?
Shall I meet another Thought?
'Will that other Thought have wings?
Shall I meet strange, heavenly things?
Thought of Thoughts, and Light of Lights,
Breath of Breaths, and Night of Nights?'
Then my Thought began to hark
In the illuminated dark,
Till the silence, over, under,
Made her heart beat more than thunder.
And my Thought, came trembling back,
But with something on her track,
And with something at her side;
Nor till she has lived and died,
Lived and died, and lived again,
Will that awful thing seem plain.
poem by William Brighty Rands
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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One Woman's Memory
Here is a lock of his soft, dark hair,
And here are the letters he wrote to me.
And the ring of gold that I used to wear
Is here in the casket-see!
I put them away ten years ago.
'What is it,' you ask, 'did I love in vain?
Was my lover unfaithful?' No, oh! no.
My heart was spared that pain.
He died in the bloom of his manhood's youth.
You say I have his memory, friend;
That he is not dead, but lives, in truth;
Wait till you hear the end.
Death in itself is a little thing,
It is only passing from here to there;
But a death of shame has a bitter sting
That makes it hard to bear.
He was good and true as a man could be,
Noble and pure, when I loved him first;
But all of his race were cursed, you see,
With a fiery, craving thirst.
And the tempter, morning and noon and night,
Was placed in his path by a mother's hand.
The woe of wine, and its blasting blight,
She did not understand.
I did not know, or I did not think,
Of the awful shame that was hidden there
When I saw him lift the glass, and drink
To the health of his 'lady fair.'
I knew and I thought when it was too late.
I reached out my hands, but I could not save.
He hurried on to his fearful fate,
And sank in a drunkard's grave.
He was good, and kind, and true, but weak
When the ruby wine danced o'er the brim.
And woe is me that I did not speak
One warning word to him!
If I had but told him to cast away,
To touch not and taste not the mocker, wine,
I need not have felt as I feel to-day
That blood stains these hands of mine.
O ye who have friends on the awful brink
That hangs o'er the river of ruin and death!
When you see them lift the glass, oh! think
Of the jaggèd rocks beneath.
Reach out a hand ere the deed is done.
Send forth a cry in the dear Lord's name.
Oh! stand not aloof while a precious one
Speeds down to a grave of shame.
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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