Author: Abram Joseph Ryan

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    The brook that down the valley
     So musically drips,
    Flowed never half so brightly
     As the light laugh from her lips.

    Her face was like the lily,
     Her heart was like the rose,
    Her eyes were like a heaven
     Where the sunlight always glows.

    She trod the earth so lightly
     Her feet touched not a thorn;
    Her words wore all the brightness
     Of a young life's happy morn.

    Along her laughter rippled
     The melody of joy;
    She drank from every chalice,
     And tasted no alloy.

    Her life was all a laughter,
     Her days were all a smile,
    Her heart was pure and happy,
     She knew not gloom nor guile.

    She rested on the bosom
     Of her mother, like a flower
    That blooms far in a valley
     Where no storm-clouds ever lower.

    And -- "Merry, merry, merry!"
     Rang the bells of every hour,
    And -- "Happy, happy, happy!"
     In her valley laughed the flower.

    There was not a sign of shadow,
     There was not a tear nor thorn,
    And the sweet voice of her laughter
     Filled with melody the morn.

             *        *        *        *        *

    Years passed -- 'twas long, long after,
     And I saw a face at prayer;
    There was not a sign of laughter,
     There was every sign of care.

    For the sunshine all had faded
     From the valley and the flower,
    And the once fair face was shaded
     In life's lonely evening hour.

    And the lips that smiled with laughter
     In the valley of the morn,
    In the valley of the evening
     They were pale and sorrow-worn.

    And I read the old, old lesson
     In her face and in her tears,
    While she sighed amid the shadows
     Of the sunset of her years.

    All the rippling streams of laughter
     From our hearts and lips that flow,
    Shall be frozen, cold years after,
     Into icicles of woe.

---

Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem presents a vivid contrast between the ebullience of youth and the melancholy of old age, using rich natural imagery and metaphor to illustrate the transition. The first two-thirds of the poem are filled with vibrant descriptions of a joyful young woman whose laughter and happiness are likened to a bright brook, a blooming flower, and a sunny heaven. This cheerful tone serves to emphasize the purity and innocence of the young woman, associating her with nature's beauty and tranquility.

The poem then shifts both in tone and imagery in the last third, showing the woman in her later years. The once bright and happy woman is now associated with care, sorrow, and a fading sun, symbolizing the hardships and losses endured over time. This contrast underscores the inevitability of life’s cyclicality and the transient nature of happiness.

The poem employs personification, simile, and metaphor effectively to convey its themes. The brook that "musically drips" and the bells that ring "merry, merry, merry!" serve to give a sense of liveliness to the young woman's environment. On the other hand, the sunset and the frozen streams in her old age symbolize the end of vitality and joy. The structure of the poem, divided into two distinct sections, also aids in delivering the contrast between youth and old age.

The poem, therefore, carries a melancholic yet profound message about the ephemeral nature of human happiness and the inevitable passage from youthful exuberance to the somber reflections of old age.