William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.
Cleone to AspasiaWalter Savage Landor (17751864)
W
Is hastening on; but when the golden orb
Strikes the extreme of earth, and when the gulfs
Of air and ocean open to receive him,
Dampness and gloom invade us; then we think
Ah! thus it is with Youth. Too fast his feet
Run on for sight; hour follows hour; fair maid
Succeeds fair maid; bright eyes bestar his couch;
The cheerful horn awakens him; the feast,
The revel, the entangling dance, allure,
And voices mellower than the Muse’s own
Heave up his buoyant bosom on their wave.
A little while, and then—Ah Youth! Youth! Youth!
Listen not to my words—but stay with me!
When thou art gone, Life may go too; the sigh
That rises is for thee, and not for Life.