| Andrew Macphail, comp. The Book of Sorrow. 1916. | | | XXI. Interlude
Epochs
iii. Loneliness | | By Emma Lazarus (1849–1887) |
| | | ALL stupor of surprise hath passed away; | |
| She sees, with clearer vision than before, | |
| A world far off of light and laughter gay, | |
| Herself alone and lonely evermore. | |
| Folk come and go, and reach her in no wise, | 5 |
| Mere flitting phantoms to her heavy eyes. | |
| |
| All outward things, that once seemed part of her, | |
| Fall from her, like the leaves in autumn shed. | |
| She feels as one embalmed in spice and myrrh, | |
| With the heart eaten out, a long time dead; | 10 |
| Unchanged without, the features and the form; | |
| Within, devoured by the thin red worm. | |
| |
| By her own prowess she must stand or fall, | |
| This grief is to be conquered day by day. | |
| Who could befriend her? who could make this small, | 15 |
| Or her strength great? she meets it as she may. | |
| A weary struggle and a constant pain, | |
| She dreams not they may ever cease nor wane. | | | | |
|
|
