Reverses

John Henry Newman 1801 (London) – 1890 (Edgbaston)



WHEN mirth is full and free,  
   Some sudden gloom shall be;  
   When haughty power mounts high,  
   The Watcher’s axe is nigh.  
All growth has bound; when greatest found,
       It hastes to die.  
 
   When the rich town, that long  
   Has lain its huts among,  
   Uprears its pageants vast,  
   And vaunts—it shall not last!
Bright tints that shine are but a sign  
       Of summer past.  
 
   And when thine eye surveys,  
   With fond adoring gaze,  
   And yearning heart, thy friend,
   Love to its grave doth tend.  
All gifts below, save Truth, but grow  
       Towards an end.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
41

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBXB XXCCXC DDEEXE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 591
Words 95
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6

John Henry Newman

Blessed John Henry Newman CO, also referred to as Cardinal Newman, was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. more…

All John Henry Newman poems | John Henry Newman Books

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