Song's End

John Howard Payne 1791 (New York City) – 1852



THE CHIME of a bell of gold  
 That flutters across the air,  
The sound of a singing of old,  
The end of a tale that is told,  
 Of a melody strange and fair,  
 of a joy that has grown despair:  
 
For the things that have been for me  
 I shall never have them again;  
The skies and the purple sea,  
And day like a melody,
 And night like a silver rain  
 Of stars on forest and plain.  
 
They are shut, the gates of the day;  
 The night has fallen on me:  
My life is a lightless way;
I sing yet, while as I may!  
 Some day I shall cease, maybe:  
 I shall live on yet, you will see.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 17, 2023

36 sec read
102

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAABB CXCCDD ECEECC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 582
Words 120
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6

John Howard Payne

John Howard Payne was an American actor, poet, playwright, and author who had most of his theatrical career and success in London. more…

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