Thomas Moore (1779-1852). The Light of Other Days. William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. 1909. The Book of Georgian Verse

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.

The Light of Other Days

By Thomas Moore (1779–1852)


OFT, in the stilly night,
Ere Slumber’s chain hath bound me,
Fond Memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
The smiles, the tears,	5
Of boyhood’s years,
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone,
Now dimmed and gone,
The cheerful hearts now broken!	10
Thus, in the stilly night,
Ere Slumber’s chain hath bound me,
Sad Memory brings the light
Of other days around me.

When I remember all	15
The friends, so linked together,
I’ve seen around me fall,
Like leaves in wintry weather,
I feel like one
Who treads alone,	20
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed!
Thus, in the stilly night,	25
Ere Slumber’s chain hath bound me,
Sad Memory brings the light
Of other days around me.