Pevensey. William Lisle Bowles (1762-1850). Pevensey. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. 1876-79. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. England: Vols. I-IV

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
England: Vols. I–IV. 1876–79.

Pevensey

William Lisle Bowles (1762–1850)


FALLEN pile! I ask not what has been thy fate,
But when the weak winds, wafted from the main,
Through each lone arch, like spirits that complain,
Come hollow to my ear, I meditate
On this world’s passing pageant, and the lot	5
Of those who once might proudly, in their prime,
Have stood with giant port, till, bowed by time
Or injury, their ancient boast forgot,
They might have sunk like thee; though thus forlorn
They lift their heads with venerable hairs	10
Bespent, majestic yet, and as in scorn
Of mortal vanities and short-lived cares;
Even so dost thou, lifting thy forehead gray,
Smile at the tempest, and Time’s sweeping sway!