lirik lagu richard mitchley - rugby chapel, november 1857 by matthew arnold
coldly, sadly descends
the autumn~evening. the field
strewn with its dank yellow drifts
of wither’d leaves, and the elms
fade into dimness apace
silent;—hardly a shout
from a few boys late at their play!
the lights come out in the street
in the school~room windows;—but cold
solemn, unlighted, austere
through the gathering darkness, arise
the chapel~walls, in whose bound
thou, my father! art laid
there thou dost lie, in the gloom
of the autumn evening. but ah!
that word, gloom, to my mind
brings thee back, in the light
of thy radiant vigour, again;
in the gloom of november we pass’d
days not dark at thy side;
seasons impair’d not the ray
of thy buoyant cheerfulness clear
such thou wast! and i stand
in the autumn evening, and think
of bygone autumns with thee
fifteen years have gone round
since thou arosest to tread
in the summer~morning, the road
of death, at a call unforeseen
sudden. for fifteen years
we who till then in thy shade
rested as under the boughs
of a mighty oak, have endured
sunshine and rain as we might
bare, unshaded, alone
lacking the shelter of thee
o strong soul, by what shore
tarriest thou now? for that force
surely, has not been left vain!
somewhere, surely afar
in the sounding labour~house vast
of being, is practised that strength
zealous, beneficent, firm!
yes, in some far~shining sphere
conscious or not of the past
still thou performest the word
of the spirit in whom thou dost live—
prompt, unwearied, as here!
still thou upraisest with zeal
the humble good from the ground
sternly repressest the bad!
still, like a trumpet, dost rouse
those who with half~open eyes
tread the border~land dim
‘twixt vice and virtue; reviv’st
succourest!—this was thy work
this was thy life upon earth
what is the course of the life
of mortal men on the earth?—
most men eddy about
here and there—eat and drink
chatter and love and hate
gather and squander, are raised
aloft, are hurl’d in the dust
striving blindly, achieving
nothing; and then they die—
perish;—and no one asks
who or what they have been
more than he asks what waves
in the moonlit solitudes mild
of the midmost ocean, have swell’d
foam’d for a moment, and gone
and there are some, whom a thirst
ardent, unquenchable, fires
not with the crowd to be spent
not without aim to go round
in an eddy of purposeless dust
effort unmeaning and vain
ah yes! some of us strive
not without action to die
fruitless, but something to sn~tch
from dull oblivion, nor all
glut the devouring grave!
we, we have chosen our path—
path to a clear~purposed goal
path of advance!—but it leads
a long, steep journey, through sunk
gorges, o’er mountains in snow
cheerful, with friends, we set forth—
then on the height, comes the storm
thunder crashes from rock
to rock, the cataracts reply
lightnings dazzle our eyes
roaring torrents have breach’d
the track, the stream~bed descends
in the place where the wayfarer once
planted his footstep—the spray
boils o’er its borders! aloft
the unseen snow~beds dislodge
their hanging ruin; alas
havoc is made in our train!
friends, who set forth at our side
falter, are lost in the storm
we, we only are left!
with frowning foreheads, with lips
sternly compress’d, we strain on
on—and at nightfall at last
come to the end of our way
to the lonely inn ‘mid the rocks;
where the gaunt and taciturn host
stands on the threshold, the wind
shaking his thin white hairs—
holds his lantern to scan
our storm~beat figures, and asks:
whom in our party we bring?
whom we have left in the snow?
sadly we answer: we bring
only ourselves! we lost
sight of the rest in the storm
hardly ourselves we fought through
stripp’d, without friends, as we are
friends, companions, and train
the avalanche swept from our side
but thou woulds’t not alone
be saved, my father! alone
conquer and come to thy goal
leaving the rest in the wild
we were weary, and we
fearful, and we in our march
fain to drop down and to die
still thou turnedst, and still
beckonedst the trembler, and still
gavest the weary thy hand
if, in the paths of the world
stones might have wounded thy feet
toil or dejection have tried
thy spirit, of that we saw
nothing—to us thou wage still
cheerful, and helpful, and firm!
therefore to thee it was given
many to save with thyself;
and, at the end of thy day
o faithful shepherd! to come
bringing thy sheep in thy hand
and through thee i believe
in the n0ble and great who are gone;
pure souls honour’d and blest
by former ages, who else—
such, so soulless, so poor
is the race of men whom i see—
seem’d but a dream of the heart
seem’d but a cry of desire
yes! i believe that there lived
others like thee in the past
not like the men of the crowd
who all round me to~day
bl~ster or cringe, and make life
hideous, and arid, and vile;
but souls temper’d with fire
fervent, heroic, and good
helpers and friends of mankind
servants of god!—or sons
shall i not call you? because
not as servants ye knew
your father’s innermost mind
his, who unwillingly sees
one of his little ones lost—
yours is the praise, if mankind
hath not as yet in its march
fainted, and fallen, and died!
see! in the rocks of the world
marches the host of mankind
a feeble, wavering line
where are they tending?—a god
marshall’d them, gave them their goal
ah, but the way is so long!
years they have been in the wild!
sore thirst plagues them, the rocks
rising all round, overawe;
factions divide them, their host
threatens to break, to dissolve
—ah, keep, keep them combined!
else, of the myriads who fill
that army, not one shall arrive;
sole they shall stray; in the rocks
stagger for ever in vain
die one by one in the waste
then, in such hour of need
of your fainting, dispirited race
ye, like angels, appear
radiant with ardour divine!
beacons of hope, ye appear!
languor is not in your heart
weakness is not in your word
weariness not on your brow
ye alight in our van! at your voice
panic, despair, flee away
ye move through the ranks, recall
the stragglers, refresh the outworn
praise, re~inspire the brave!
order, courage, return
eyes rekindling, and prayers
follow your steps as ye go
ye fill up the gaps in our files
strengthen the wavering line
stablish, continue our march
on, to the bound of the waste
on, to the city of god
Lirik lagu lainnya:
- lirik lagu henry pepin - teton valley
- lirik lagu noslen nayrb - him
- lirik lagu ytb fatt & fox bd - hit the curb
- lirik lagu chocolat (jpn) - nicole
- lirik lagu xorro - dragonskin
- lirik lagu bamboo (can) - in every life
- lirik lagu nico roberts - wish.
- lirik lagu ideal j - ce soir on est down
- lirik lagu sheloverj - chilling with you
- lirik lagu dreams (band) - alone