by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
Not a line of her writing have I
Language: English
Not a line of her writing have I Not a thread of her hair, No mark of her late time as dame in her dwelling, whereby I may picture her there; And in vain do I urge my unsight To conceive my lost prize At her close, whom I knew when her dreams were upbrimming with light And with laughter her eyes. What scenes spread around her last days, Sad, shining, or dim? Did her gifts and compassions enray and enarch her sweet ways With an aureate nimb? Or did life-light decline from her years, And mischances control Her full day-star; unease, or regret, or forebodings, or fears Disennoble her soul? Thus I do but the phantom retain Of the maiden of yore As my relic; yet haply the best of her--fined in my brain It may be the more That no line of her writing have I, Nor a thread of her hair, No mark of her late time as dame in her dwelling, whereby I may picture her there.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "Thoughts of Phena at news of her death", appears in Wessex Poems and Other Verses, first published 1898, rev. 1916 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "At news of a woman's death", c1920, unfinished [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-17
Line count: 24
Word count: 171