Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
England: Vols. I–IV. 1876–79.
Verses on the Gateway Still Standing at Nettlestead, Suffolk
By Bernard Barton (17841849)T
The remembrance of vanished glory;
And Time, which has levelled the ancient hall,
Still spares thee to tell of its story.
In spite of spoil’s bereavement,
Is left as a relic, on which are revealed
The insignia of a bold achievement.
Their emblazonment shone forth brightly;
But now the rustic passes them by,
And thinks of their legend lightly.
And leave but a wreck to outlive them,
Is, as it should be, the lot of all
Who trust in what pride can give them.
From pride’s departed splendor;
And thine is connected with countless ties,
Which waken ideas more tender.
Changes little in passions and powers;
And theirs, who sojourned here in distant years,
Cherished feelings the same as ours!
Was their home, in pain and pleasure;
And the best of them hoarded here their bliss,
As the miser his hidden treasure.
And its sunniest heights are shrouded,
The beams of affection, that brightened its shade,
Are to Memory’s eye unclouded.
For all that endures the longest;
Its better feelings no blight can blast,
For their strength is in storms the strongest.
To leave that enchantment behind them
Which gives them an influence all must own,
By Nature herself assigned them.
For the trophies of fame enwreathe thee;
But that fame is not worth one tear or smile
Of some who have passed underneath thee.