When ee'r sorrow grips my heart
Like vultures at a feast!
And grief gnaws at my entrails
Like a rabid, hyena beast!
...
I have sailed the North Atlantic
A cold and lonely place.
Had a beard of ice
Form upon my face.
...
A beggar stands resolute
On a busy through-fare.
Once proud countenance
Ravaged by time and circumstance!
...
Death
When ee'r sorrow grips my heart
Like vultures at a feast!
And grief gnaws at my entrails
Like a rabid, hyena beast!
My feet become leaden-
'Tis the world with each step!
Senses numb, deaden,
O, if I'd but slept!
Then there's the roaring silence...
Rising to crescendo!
As I shout into the cosmos!
Hoping grief will abate, low.
Now the night descends!
On 'beasts of prey', birds and men!
And I am left again
With 'Eternity's mortal sin'.