My Memory’s Care

Sing not to me a song of beauty bright,
Nor festive scenes of dazzling light;
Nor of gorgeous pageant in palace hall
Begemmed with many a coronal;
But sing to me my memory’s care –
The misspent hours fled where – oh where?

Sing not to me of the battlefield,
Nor splintered lance nor of broken shield,
Not of gory plumes once freshly fair,
Not of banners rent nor pennon bare;
But sing to me my memory’s care –
The misspent hours fled where – oh where?

Sing not to me of the sea-fight won,
By daring hearts and by flashing gun,
Not how o’er the deep in exultant glee
The victor’s ship speeds galliantly;
But sing to me my memory’s care –
The misspent hours fled where – oh where?

Sing not of summer, sing not of spring,
For these no joy to my heart can bring;
Sing not of autumn yellow and sere
Sing not of pallid winter frosty and drear;
But sing to me my memory’s care –
The misspent hours fled where – oh where?

Sing not of Love’s deep tenderness
Nor its whispered words, share its sweet caress;
Sing not to me of Beauty’s power,
Nor the bridal morn – Love’s dearest hour!
But sing to me my memory’s care
The misspent hours fled where – oh where?

Sing – sing to me with a mocking song,
Of the guilty past and its deeds of wrong;
Sing – till around me the phantoms come,
Or the broken hearts in a distant home;
These, these are my memory’s care,
And shriek them forth to my soul’s despair!