| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | V. Thoughts During the Singing of a Beautiful Song | | By Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) |
| | To William Linley
WHILE my young cheek retains its healthful hues, | |
| And I have many friends who hold me dear, | |
| Linley! methinks I would not often hear | |
| Such melodies as thine, lest I should lose | |
| All memory of the wrongs and sore distress | 5 |
| For which my miserable brethren weep! | |
| But should uncomforted misfortunes steep | |
| My daily bread in tears and bitterness, | |
| And if at death’s dread moment I should lie | |
| With no beloved face at my bedside, | 10 |
| To fix the last glance of my closing eye, | |
| Methinks such strains, breathed by my angel guide, | |
| Would make me pass the cup of anguish by, | |
| Mix with the blest, nor know that I had died! | | | | |
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