Time & Brevity

Songs' End

by John Payne 1842–1916

From A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895 (1895)

Time & Brevity

The chime of a bell of gold
That flutters across the air,
The sound of a singing of old,
The end of a tale that is told,
Of a melody strange and fair,
Of a joy that has grown despair:

For the things that have been for me
I shall never have them again;
The skies and the purple sea,
And day like a melody,
And night like a silver rain
Of stars on forest and plain.

They are shut, the gates of the day;
The night has fallen on me:
My life is a lightless way;
I sing yet, while as I may!
Some day I shall cease, maybe:
I shall live on yet, you will see.

MLA

Payne, John. “Songs' End.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/payne_j/5/.

Chicago

Payne, John. “Songs' End.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/payne_j/5/.

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