Poems (Sherwin)/Time and beauty
TIME AND BEAUTY.
Forth from the mighty maker's hand,
Arrayed in smiles, in graces dress'd,
A type of that far better land,
Where saints repose—where angels rest,
Came beauty, maid of heavenly birth,
With blooming cheek and sparkling eye,
Bright ornament of our lone earth,
Whose bosom heaved the melting sigh.
Arrayed in smiles, in graces dress'd,
A type of that far better land,
Where saints repose—where angels rest,
Came beauty, maid of heavenly birth,
With blooming cheek and sparkling eye,
Bright ornament of our lone earth,
Whose bosom heaved the melting sigh.
To her mankind their homage paid;
Her potent charms with magic spell
Prostrate the greatest heroes laid,
And 'neath her sway even empires fell.
The storms of life passed harmless by,
Her sunny smiles beguiled their power:
Nor sorrow's tear, nor grief's deep sigh,
Could nip the bloom of beauty's flower.
Her potent charms with magic spell
Prostrate the greatest heroes laid,
And 'neath her sway even empires fell.
The storms of life passed harmless by,
Her sunny smiles beguiled their power:
Nor sorrow's tear, nor grief's deep sigh,
Could nip the bloom of beauty's flower.
But short her reign,—one mighty hand
At length robbed Beauty of her bloom;
Time passed and shook the wasting sand,
She drooped, and sunk into the tomb.
Time conquers and destroys all things,—
Even beauty owns his powerful sway;
He breathes alike on slaves and kings,—
They wither, fade and fall away.
At length robbed Beauty of her bloom;
Time passed and shook the wasting sand,
She drooped, and sunk into the tomb.
Time conquers and destroys all things,—
Even beauty owns his powerful sway;
He breathes alike on slaves and kings,—
They wither, fade and fall away.