Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DIED YOUNG, by CORA RANDALL FABBRI


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DIED YOUNG, by                    
First Line: And she is sleeping now without a dream
Last Line: In that you know the mystery of death.
Subject(s): Death - Children; Death - Babies


AND she is sleeping now without a dream,
Unheeding now alike men's praise and blame.
To all the world her name is but a name
It will forget, to-morrow, or more soon.
To-day she is so pale, her face doth seem
A little flower underneath the moon.

Her eyelids fallen o'er her sweet, still eyes,
Like leaves shut round two violets that are dead.
Those eyes will gaze no more astonishèd,
Nor grief will touch, nor tears will make less bright.
So young she died, like snow that hardly lies
One hour on earth for being too pure and white.

If she could speak again, what would she say
Of what white days in what forgotten Springs?
What sudden birds with Summer on their wings?
What thoughts too pure for any earth of ours?
She fell asleep so early on the way,
With eyes still full of dreams and hands of flowers.

She died too young to know the weary years
Of unfulfilled and incompleted bliss.
O dear, dead child, you will not grieve for this,
Nor see the darkness fall where sunshine gleams,
Nor lose your stars through eyes grown dim with tears ...
She was too young to know her dreams were dreams.

O peaceful eyes, we are more wise than you,
In that we know all dreams must pass away;
For evil is upon us while we pray,
And sorrow is upon us when we smile—
Alas! beneath a sky so pure and blue
What evil and what sorrow all the while.

We learn life's truths—through sorrow growing wise;
We see men sow for other men to reap;
We see men laugh, while by their side men weep,
And good and evil side by side draw breath ...
But you are far more wise, O peaceful eyes,
In that you know the mystery of Death.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net