I had
known Pleasure from my birth,
Played
hide-and-seek with laughing Mirth,
But this
shy stranger lost among
Deep
shadows, eventide and Song
Had
strayed into my home one day
To bless
and make a little stay.
Joy dyed
the sea a richer blue
And dawn
put on a rosier hue:
Sudden
beauty filled the air
And
harmony was everywhere:
Ugly men
were less unkind
And care
was banished from the mind.
One
night, in neither doubt or dread
I
strangled Joy till he was dead:
I was
left wondering and alone,
The moon
was hid, the stars were gone.
If on
that Ancient Day serene
Thy own
relentless Law had been,
Compelling
even Thee, to mar
Creation
which had seemed so fair;
Didst
Thou, when Death was born, yet know
The
anguish I am feeling now?