THE OLD CLOCK ON THE STAIRS. L'éternité est une pendule, dont le balancier dit et redit sans cesse ces deux mots seulement, dans le silence des tombeaux: "Toujours! jamais! Jamais! toujours!" JACQUES BRIDAINE. SOMEWHAT back from the village street Stands the old-fashioned country-seat. Across its antique portico Tall poplar-trees their shadows throw; And from its station in the hall An ancient timepiece says to all, "Forever never! Never forever!" - Halfway up the stairs it stands, And points and beckons with its hands From its case of massive oak, Like a monk, who, under his cloak, With sorrowful voice to all who pass, "Forever never! Never forever!" By day its voice is low and light; It echoes along the vacant hall, Along the ceiling, along the floor, And seems to say, at each chamber-door,— Through days of sorrow and of mirth, Of changeful time, unchanged it has stood, It calmly repeats those words of awe, — In that mansion used to be Free-hearted Hospitality; His great fires up the chimney roared; The stranger feasted at his board; But, like the skeleton at the feast, That warning timepiece never ceased, "Forever - never! There groups of merry children played, And affluence of love and time ! Even as a miser counts his gold, Those hours the ancient timepiece told, From that chamber, clothed in white, The bride came forth on her wedding night; The dead lay in his shroud of snow; 32255B And in the hush that followed the prayer, Was heard the old clock on the stair, "Forever never! All are scattered now and fled, Some are married, some are dead; "Forever never! Never forever!" Never here, forever there, Where all parting, pain, and care, Forever there, but never here! |