An Elegy Poem by Monty AnNayef

“Farewell, farewell, ” my soul to thine
In grief has said, “farewell, my wine.”
Damn’d death! Thou hast stolen my love.
Thou left me down and took her `bove.
O love! O love! Thou art the “lord
Of life and death.” Show me thy word
For sure thy name and soul up rove
Higher and higher than lives Jove.
Tell her that soon I’ll see her face
And that if death can kill the rose,
Its seeds of life will have the race;
In May again will be a rose.

Farewell my love until we meet,
For love at last shall death defeat.
I live with thee, who grieved me much.
When I’m to sleep, I see thee such
As once we sat under the trees:
When we first saw the dancing bears,
There were some birds singing some notes,
Orpheus around aroused some lot’s.

Thy lips and cheeks, and those fair eyes
Took me with words to write some verse.
When I came back to take my prize,
Thou wert in grave, and I, with tears
And pensive head, did write these lines
For thee, my love, the wine of wines:
That as long as I have one heart,
Then my love will live in thy heart;
As long as I’m with thee in love,
This love will love and live for love
Till no more love on earth does live
Except my love and thine, my love.

(6 October 1993)