Poem by Thomas Moore

From “Irish Melodies”. 71. I Saw from the Beach

I saw from the beach, when the morning was shining,
  	A bark o’er the waters move gloriously on;
I came when the sun o’er that beach was declining,
  	The bark was still there, but the waters were gone.

And such is the fate of our life’s early promise,
  	So passing the spring-tide of joy we have known;
Each wave, that we danced on at morning, ebbs from us,
  	And leaves us, at eve, on the bleak shore alone.

Ne’er tell me of glories, serenely adorning
  	The close of our day, the calm eve of our night; –
Give me back, give me back the wild freshness of Morning,
  	Her clouds and her tears are worth Evening’s best light.

Oh, who would not welcome that moment’s returning,
  	When passion first waked a new life thro’ his frame,
And his soul, like the wood, that grows precious in burning,
  	Gave out all its sweets to love’s exquisite flame

1. From “The Odes of Anacreon”. Ode 16
2. From “The Odes of Anacreon”. Ode 75
3. Bright Be Thy Dreams
4. From “Irish Melodies”. 123. From This Hour the Pledge Is Given
5. From “The Odes of Anacreon”. Ode 27

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