| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895. |
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| Life |
| | | Charles Swain (1803–74) |
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| LIFE’S not our own,—’t is but a loan | |
| To be repaid; | |
| Soon the dark Comer’s at the door, | |
| The debt is due: the dream is o’er,— | |
| Life’s but a shade. | 5 |
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| Thus all decline that bloom or shine, | |
| Both star and flower; | |
| ’T is but a little odor shed, | |
| A light gone out, a spirit fled, | |
| A funeral hour. | 10 |
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| Then let us show a tranquil brow | |
| Whate’er befalls; | |
| That we upon life’s latest brink | |
| May look on Death’s dark face,—and think | |
| An angel calls. | 15 |
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