Living
Stay! O stay, thou lovely shade
From Poems (1786)
Living
STAY! O stay, thou lovely shade,
Brought by Sleep to Sorrow's aid:
Ah! the sweet illusion ends!
Light and Reason, cruel friends!
Bid me not, with frantic care,
Vainly worship fleeting air!
Night, return on rapid wing!
Round my head thy poppies fling!
Hateful day! thy reign be brief!
Darkness is the friend of grief.
Couldst thou, Sleep! my dream restore,
I should wish to wake no more.
Cite this poem
MLA
Hayley, William. “Stay! O stay, thou lovely shade.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hayley/33/.
Chicago
Hayley, William. “Stay! O stay, thou lovely shade.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hayley/33/.
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