JT-56-FAREWELL TO YOUTH--AN ALLEGORY.

FAREWELL TO YOUTH--AN ALLEGORY.

Farewell to beauty, blooming flowers,
And all their sweet delight
To pebbly brooks and shady bowers,
And all that charm the sight.

Those blooming months are rolled away,
When songs attuned the plain;
Far fled the sweet perennial day,
That soothed the rising pain.

Cold winter now with horrid gloom,
Comes raving through the air,
And strips the earth of all her bloom,
And leaves it sad and bare!

The rural rustic nightly hears,
The Ærial storms arise;
Tumultuous noise invades his ears,
And rumbles round the skies.

The forests groan in silent night,
To warn the world of pain,
The skulking beasts in wild affright.
Scud fast along the plain.

How fair the morning of my day,
When ev’ry cloud withdrew;
Enchanting flowers allured my way,
And the soft zephyr blew.

The landscape opened far and wide,
Where every beauty grew,
And youthful pleasure’s flowing tide,
Extended to my view.

Those pleasant hours I thought would stay,
The flowers forever bloom,
I little thought the rising day
Would close in sullen gloom.

But, O! the mid-day sun withdrew,
The darkling clouds came on--
The stormy winds in fury blew,
All nature looked forlorn!

The dreadful storm around the sky,
In burning lightning flew;
The bending forests gave a sigh,
And I stood trembling too.

Amid the gloom I heard a groan,
It hollow whispering said,
The pleasures of thy youth are flown,
Thy golden dreams have fled."

I looked around with sad surprise,
And saw the plain was bare,
The flowers had faded in my eyes,
And every beauty there.

The rose had withered, and the thorn
On ev’ry briar grew;
I felt alarmed and faint, forlorn,
When far more comfort flew.

My heart was pained and full of woe,
I felt no true delight;
The howling winds remained to blow,
My day was turned to night.

Farewell to youth, to former joys,
And my companions gay;
’Tis withered age my peace destroy,
And points me to the clay.