Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 2

Chapter 124: 19 A LOVE LYRIC

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About This Book

A compact collection of short lyrical poems that meditate on memory, seasonal change, love, and the natural world. Many pieces adopt an elegiac or contemplative tone, turning riverbanks, cliffs, gardens, and the sea into prompts for reflection on loss, longing, and the persistence of feeling. The verse mixes concise narrative moments, personified elements, and formal lyrical rhythms, producing musical and measured language. Poems are presented in grouped sections alongside newly gathered pieces and editorial notes, yielding a varied sequence of brief, reflective lyrics and conversational vignettes.

19
A LOVE LYRIC

Why art thou sad, my dearest?

What terror is it thou fearest,

Braver who art than I

The fiend to defy?

Why art thou sad, my dearest?

And why in tears appearest,

Closer than I that wert

At hiding thy hurt?

Why art thou sad, my dearest,

Since now my voice thou hearest?

Who with a kiss restore

Thy valour of yore.