Matthew Arnold (1822–88). The Poems of Matthew Arnold, 1840–1867. 1909.
Empedocles on Etna, and Other PoemsDespondency
[First published 1852. Reprinted 1855.]
T
Like stars on life’s cold sea,
Which others know, or say they know—
They never shone for me.
But they will not remain.
They light me once, they hurry by,
And never come again.