Let It Be Forgotten
BY SARA TEASDALE
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Let it be forgotten, as a flower is forgotten,
Forgotten as a fire that once was singing gold,
Let it be forgotten for ever and ever,
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old.
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If anyone asks, say it was forgotten
Long and long ago,
As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed footfall
In a long forgotten snow.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 12:39 PM
3 Comments:
Let what be forgotten? Our foolish youth?
"Time is a friend, he will make us old." That sounds sort of Shakespear-ish, as in the Sonnets. I like the one that starts, "To me, fair friend, you never will be old..."
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I ey'd,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold,
Have from the forests shook three summers' pride,
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turn'd,
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burn'd,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.
Ah! yet doth beauty like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceiv'd;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceiv'd:
For fear of which, hear this thou age unbred:
Ere you were born was beauty's summer dead.
Thanks Trudy, it's a beautiful piece. I'm often scared to approach Shakespeare, this helped make him feel more approachable. I found a site with the sonnets and commentary - http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonn03.htm
Kishke, I think it's supposed to be somewhat unclear - that's part of what I like about this poem (that came in my daily poem email from about.com). I googled around, some sites have a lot of opinion and analysis (this site that I see now just has one comment: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Sara-Teasdale/6623)
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