As a Beam O'er the Face of the Waters May Glow

Thomas Moore 1779 (Dublin) – 1852 (Bromham)



As a beam o'er the face of the waters may glow
While the tide runs in darkness and coldness below,
So the cheek may be tinged with a warm sunny smile,
Though the cold heart to ruin runs darkly the while.

One fatal remembrance, one sorrow that throws
Its bleak shade alike o'er our joys and our woes,
To which life nothing darker or brighter can bring,
For which joy has no balm and affliction no sting --

Oh! this thought in the midst of enjoyment will stay,
Like a dead, leafless branch in the summer's bright ray;
The beams of the warm sun play round it in vain;
It may smile in his light, but it blooms not again.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 17, 2023

37 sec read
48

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD EEXX
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 624
Words 122
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet singer songwriter and entertainer now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and the The Last Rose of Summer more…

All Thomas Moore poems | Thomas Moore Books

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    "As a Beam O'er the Face of the Waters May Glow" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36813/as-a-beam-o'er-the-face-of-the-waters-may-glow>.

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