Poems (Ryan)/Alas! Alas!
ALAS! ALAS!
Alas! Alas! the noisy laugh,
May stifle back a sigh;
And galling tears concealed may lie
Within the brightest eye.
The gayest at the banquet board,
O'er vanished days may mourn;
And e'en the light exulting heart,
With secret grief may burn.
May stifle back a sigh;
And galling tears concealed may lie
Within the brightest eye.
The gayest at the banquet board,
O'er vanished days may mourn;
And e'en the light exulting heart,
With secret grief may burn.
Unfathomable the heart's great depths,
Ourselves we do not know,
For oscillating to and fro,
We live twixt joy and woe.
For all on earth must pass away,
Life's joys bright sunbeams prove;
And things most prized elude our grasp
Like phantom dreams of love.
Ourselves we do not know,
For oscillating to and fro,
We live twixt joy and woe.
For all on earth must pass away,
Life's joys bright sunbeams prove;
And things most prized elude our grasp
Like phantom dreams of love.