| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | III. “Now, while the Rear-Guard of the flying Year” | | By Paul Hamilton Hayne (1830–1886) |
| | | NOW, while the Rear-Guard of the flying Year, | |
| Rugged December, on the season’s verge, | |
| Marshals his pale Days to the mournful dirge | |
| Of muffled winds in far-off forests drear, | |
| Good friend! turn with me to our in-door cheer; | 5 |
| Draw nigh, the huge flames roar upon the hearth, | |
| And this sly sparkler is of subtlest birth, | |
| And a rich vintage poet souls hold dear; | |
| Mark how the sweet rogue wooes us! Sit thee down, | |
| And we will quaff, and quaff, and drink our fill, | 10 |
| Topping the spirits with a Bacchanal crown, | |
| Till the funereal blast shall wail no more, | |
| But silver-throated clarions seem to thrill, | |
| And shouts of triumph peal along the shore. | | | | |
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