| Andrew Macphail, comp. The Book of Sorrow. 1916. | | | XXIV. Bitter Sorrow
Lament | | By Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel (1834–1894) |
| | | I AM lying in the tomb, love, | |
| Lying in the tomb, | |
| Tho’ I move within the gloom, love, | |
| Breathe within the gloom! | |
| Men deem life not fled, dear, | 5 |
| Deem my life not fled, | |
| Tho’ I with thee am dead, dear, | |
| I with thee am dead, | |
| O my little child! | |
| |
| What is the grey world, darling, | 10 |
| What is the grey world, | |
| Where the worm is curled, darling, | |
| The deathworm is curled? | |
| They tell me of the spring, dear! | |
| Do I want the spring? | 15 |
| Will she waft upon her wing, dear, | |
| The joy-pulse of her wing, | |
| Thy songs, thy blossoming, | |
| O my little child! | |
| |
| For the hallowing of thy smile, love, | 20 |
| The rainbow of thy smile, | |
| Gleaming for a while, love, | |
| Gleaming to beguile! | |
| Replunged me in the cold, dear, | |
| Leaves me in the cold, | 25 |
| And I feel so very old, dear, | |
| Very, very old! | |
| |
| Would they put me out of pain, dear, | |
| Out of all my pain, | |
| Since I may not live again, dear, | 30 |
| Never live again! | |
| |
| I am lying in the grave, love, | |
| In thy little grave, | |
| Yet I hear the wind rave, love, | |
| And the wild wave! | 35 |
| I would lie asleep, darling, | |
| With thee lie asleep, | |
| Unhearing the world weep, darling, | |
| Little children weep! | |
| O my little child! | 40 | | | |
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