When colour goes home into the eyes,
And lights that shine are shut again
With dancing girls and sweet birds’ cries
Behind the gateways of the brain;
And that no-place which gave them birth, shall close
The rainbow and the rose:—
Still may Time hold some golden space
Where I’ll unpack that scented store
Of song and flower and sky and face,
And count, and touch, and turn them o’er,
Musing upon them; as a mother, who
Has watched her children all the rich day through
Sits, quiet-handed, in the fading light,
When children sleep, ere night.
When colour goes home into the eyes, And lights that shine are shut again These lines are speaking of the biological changes one goes through as they die. All color fades from a person's eyes. Second verse...the mementos left behind that a loved one would cherish. My thoughts.
Apparently WW1 was looming over the lives of people everywhere. He was no different. ‘This poem was supposedly written in August 1914 when he was worried about the war in general and worried about whether he should try to get to the front as soon as he could. He packed his bags and wrote of the memories he had of friends and places- -much like any person facing a huge if not lethal change in his life.
Amazing and meaningful poem with an equally amazing rhythm and rhyme. Thanks for sharing it here.
Melancholic... Nice!