Author: Algernon Charles Swinburne

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    Till death have broken
    Sweet lifes love-token,
    Till all be spoken
    That shall be said,
    What dost thou praying,
    O soul, and playing
    With song and saying,
    Things flown and fled?
    For this we know not
    That fresh springs flow not
    And fresh griefs grow not
    When men are dead;
    When strange years cover
    Lover and lover,
    And joys are over
    And tears are shed.

    If one days sorrow
    Mar the days morrow
    If mans life borrow
    And mans death pay
    If souls once taken,
    If lives once shaken,
    Arise, awaken,
    By night, by day
    Why with strong crying
    And years of sighing,
    Living and dying,
    Fast ye and pray?
    For all your weeping,
    Waking and sleeping,
    Death comes to reaping
    And takes away.

    Though time rend after
    Roof-tree from rafter,
    A little laughter
    Is much more worth
    Than thus to measure
    The hour, the treasure,
    The pain, the pleasure,
    The death, the birth;
    Grief, when days alter,
    Like joy shall falter;
    Song-book and psalter,
    Mourning and mirth.
    Live like the swallow;
    Seek not to follow
    Where earth is hollow
    Under the earth.

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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: This poem presents a poignant meditation on life, death, and the human response to these inevitable realities. The central themes revolve around the transience of life and the futility of clinging too tightly to earthly joys or sorrows. The poet uses a reflective tone, encouraging the reader to consider their own mortality and the subsequent implications on how they should live their life.

The structure of the poem—with its consistent rhythm and rhymed quatrains—provides a sense of balance and inevitability that mirrors the cyclical nature of life and death. The repetition of certain phrases, like "Till death have broken / Sweet life's love-token," and "Death comes to reaping / And takes away," serve as a sobering reminder of mortality, reinforcing the poem's theme.

Notably, the poem uses metaphors and vivid imagery to express its message. The comparison of life to a "song-book and psalter" suggests a harmonious acceptance of life's ups and downs, while the advice to "live like the swallow" invokes the image of a bird that freely embraces the sky, symbolizing the freedom and joy found in accepting life's ephemeral nature.

In summary, this poem calls for a balance between acknowledging the inevitability of death and embracing the beauty of life, offering a profound perspective on human existence.