Mirth And Mourning

Anne Brontë 1820 (Thornton, West Yorkshire) – 1849 (Scarborough, North Yorkshire)



'O cast away your sorrow; --
            A while, at least, be gay!
If grief must come tomorrow,
            At least, be glad today!
'How can you still be sighing
            When smiles are everywhere?
The little birds are flying
            So blithely through the air;

'The sunshine glows so brightly
            O'er all the blooming earth;
And every heart beats lightly, --
            Each face is full of mirth.'

'I always feel the deepest gloom
            When day most brightly shines:
When Nature shows the fairest bloom,
            My spirit most repines;

'For, in the brightest noontide glow,
            The dungeon's light is dim;
Though freshest winds around us blow,
            No breath can visit him.

'If he must sit in twilight gloom,
            Can I enjoy the sight
Of mountains clad in purple bloom,
            And rocks in sunshine bright? --

'My heart may well be desolate, --
            These tears may well arise
While prison wall and iron grate
            Oppress his weary eyes.'

'But think of him tomorrow,
            And join your comrades now; --
That constant cloud of sorrow
            Ill suits so young a brow.

'Hark, how their merry voices
            Are sounding far and near!
While all the world rejoices
            Can you sit moping here?'

'When others' hearts most lightly bound
            Mine feels the most oppressed;
When smiling faces greet me round
            My sorrow will not rest:

'I think of him whose faintest smile
            Was sunshine to my heart,
Whose lightest word could care beguile
            And blissful thoughts impart;

'I think how he would bless that sun,
            And love this glorious scene;
I think of all that has been done,
            And all that might have been.

'Those sparkling eyes, that blessed me so,
            Are dim with weeping now;
And blighted hope and burning woe
            Have ploughed that marble brow.

'What waste of youth, what hopes destroyed,
            What days of pining care,
What weary nights of comfort void
            Art thou condemned to bear!

'O! if my love must suffer so --
            And wholly for my sake --
What marvel that my tears should flow, --
            Or that my heart should break!'

Zerona

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

1:43 min read
138

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEF GHGH AIAI GJGJ XKXK ALAL XXHX MNMN OPOP QXQX ALAL RDRD ASAS
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 2,186
Words 347
Stanzas 14
Stanza Lengths 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. more…

All Anne Brontë poems | Anne Brontë Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Mirth And Mourning with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Mirth And Mourning" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3154/mirth-and-mourning>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    4
    hours
    32
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote this? 'Look on my Works, ye Mightyand despair!'
    A P. B. Shelley
    B S.T. Coleridge
    C William Wordsworth
    D William Shakespeare