The light in the dust lies dead；
When the cloud is scatter'd
The rainbow's glory is shed；
When the lute1 is broken
Sweet tones are remember'd not
When the lips have spoken
Loved accents are soon forgot.
As music and splendour
Survive not the lamp and the lute
The heart's echoes render
No song when the spirit is mute
No song but sad dirges2
Like the wind through a ruin'd cell
Or the mournful surges
That ring the dead seaman's knell3.
When hearts have once mingled4
Love first leaves the well-built nest；
The weak one is singled
To endure what it once possest.
O Love who bewailest
The frailty5 of all things here
Why choose you the frailest6
For your cradle your home and your bier？
Its passions will rock thee
As the storms rock the ravens7 on high：
Bright reason will mock thee
Like the sun from a wintry sky.
From thy nest every rafter
Will rot and thine eagle home
Leave thee naked to laughter
When leaves fall and cold winds come.