Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms -- Thomas Moore

(Poem #1841) Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms Believe me, if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly to-day, Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms, Live fairy-gifts fading away, Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art, Let thy loveliness fade as it will, And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantly still. It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear, That the fervor and faith of a soul may be known, To which time will but make thee more dear! No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close, As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets The same look which she turned when he rose! -- Thomas Moore

For some inexplicable reason, Moore simply doesn't seem to feature here on
Minstrels. Indeed, looking back through the archives, I see that in our
entire seven year history, we have only run one of his poems[1] - truly odd for
a poet of his charm and prominence.

Today's poem is one of Moore's most famous, and justly so. The theme itself
is a popular enough one, and Moore's gift for musical verse makes his lines
a delight to read and recite, but it is the last two lines that take a good
poem and make it immortal. As startlingly apt a comparison as any I've seen,
and far more memorable than most.

[1] I also note that I was surprised then too

martin

[Links]

Wikipedia on Moore:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moore