No Message

Mary Hannay Foott 1846 (Glasgow) – 1918 (Bundaberg)



She heard the story of the end,
   Each message, too, she heard;
And there was one for every friend;
   For her alone -- no word.

And shall she bear a heavier heart,
   And deem his love was fled;
Because his soul from earth could part
   Leaving her name unsaid?

No -- No! -- Though neither sign nor sound
   A parting thought expressed --
Not heedless passed the Homeward-Bound
   Of her he loved the best.

Of voyage-perils, bravely borne,
   He would not tell the tale;
Of shattered planks and canvas torn,
   And war with wind and gale.

He waited till the light-house star
   Should rise against the sky;
And from the mainland, looming far,
   The forest scents blow by.

He hoped to tell -- assurance sweet! --
   That pain and grief were o'er --
What blessings haste the soul to meet,
   Ere yet within the door.

Then one farewell he thought to speak
   When all the rest were past --
As in the parting-hour we seek
   The dearest hand the last.

And while for this delaying but
   To see Heaven's opening Gate --
Lo, it received him -- and was shut --
   Ere he could say "I wait."

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:00 min read
77

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KXKX LMLM NONO
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,094
Words 200
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Mary Hannay Foott

Mary Hannay Foott 26 September 1846 12 October 1918 was an Australian poet and editor who is best remembered for the poem Where the pelican builds more…

All Mary Hannay Foott poems | Mary Hannay Foott Books

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    "No Message" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/26900/no-message>.

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