Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, IN DRYBURGH ABBEY, by ALEXANDER LOUIS FRASER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

IN DRYBURGH ABBEY, by                    
First Line: What though fell time leaves here and there a heap
Last Line: To god this roofless fane shall still belong.
Subject(s): Dryburgh Abbey, Scotland


What though fell Time leaves here and there a heap,
Where long ago stood a frequented fane:
As some exploit transforms a nameless plain—
Where Industry her waving fields did reap—
Into a storied place where strong men weep;
So that dear mound,—within Saint Mary's aisle,
The fortune-favoured remnant of this pile—
From dull forgetfulness this shrine shall keep.

And while the Eildon Hills their brows make bare,
And his loved Tweed its plaintive lay is singing;
While on this altar-site men breathe a prayer,
Or to these stones their hearts like vines are clinging,—
Though its own voices have been silent long,
To God this roofless fane shall still belong.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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