Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Volume 2

Chapter 53: 19

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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

O youth whose hope is high,

Who dost to Truth aspire,

Whether thou live or die,

O look not back nor tire.

Thou that art bold to fly

Through tempest, flood and fire,

Nor dost not shrink to try

Thy heart in torments dire:

If thou canst Death defy,

If thy Faith is entire,

Press onward, for thine eye

Shall see thy heart’s desire.

Beauty and love are nigh,

And with their deathless quire

Soon shall thine eager cry

Be numbered and expire.