Remorse.

    Go, get thee gone. I love thee not, I swear;
    And if I lov'd thee well in days gone by,
    And if I kiss'd, and trifled with thy hair,
    And crown'd my love, to prove the same a lie,
    My doom is this: my joy was quick to die.
    The chain of custom in the drowsy lair
    Of some slain vision, is a weight to bear,
    And both abhorr'd it, - thou as well as I.
    Ah, God! 'tis tearful true; and I repent;
    And like a dead, live man I live for this: -
    To stand, unvalued, on a dream's abyss,
    And be my own most piteous monument.
    What! did I rob thee, Lady, of a kiss?
    There, take it back; and frown; and be content!

Eric Mackay

Eric Mackay, born on June 1, 1851, was a noted English poet whose work gained recognition in the late 19th century. He is best known for his sonnets and lyrical poetry, which were celebrated for their emotional depth and technical mastery. His most famous work, 'Love Letters of a Violinist,' was well-received during his lifetime. Mackay's contributions to English literature have been acknowledged for their artistic merit. He passed away on June 8, 1898.

Eric Mackay

Mary Arden.

Eric Mackay, Simple Poetry

The Sonnet King.

Eric Mackay, Simple Poetry

Beethoven At The Piano.

Eric Mackay, Simple Poetry

A Lover's Litanies - Fifth Litany. Salve Regina.

Eric Mackay, Simple Poetry

English

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Love Letters of a Violinist. Letter I. Prelude.




Letter I. Prelude.


I.

    Teach me to love thee as a man, in prayer,
    May love the picture of a sainted nun,
    And I will woo thee, when the day is done,
    With tears and vows, and fealty past compare,
    And seek the sunlight in thy golden hair,
    And kiss thy hand to claim thy benison.


II.

    I shall not need to gaze upon the skies,
    Or mark the message of the morning breeze,
    Or heed the notes of birds among the trees,
    If, taught by thee to yearn for Paradise,
    I may confront thee with adoring eyes
 ...

Eric Mackay

Mirage.

I.

                'Tis a legend of a lover,
                'Tis a ballad to be sung,
                In the gloaming, - under cover, -
                By a minstrel who is young;
    By a singer who has passion, and who sways us with his tongue.


II.

                I, who know it, think upon it,
                Not unhappy, tho' in tears,
                And I gather in a sonnet
                All the glory of the years;
    And I kiss and clasp a shadow when the substance disappears.


III.

                Ah! I see her as she faced me,
                In the sinless summer days,
                When her little hands embraced me,
                And I saddened at her gaze,
    Thinking, Sweet One! will she love ...

Eric Mackay

Love Letters of a Violinist. Letter VI. Despair.



Letter VI. Despair.


I.

    I am undone. My hopes have beggar'd me,
    For I have lov'd where loving was denied.
    To-day is dark, and Yesterday has died,
    And when To-morrow comes, erect and free,
    Like some great king, whose tyrant will he be,
    And whose defender in the days of pride?


II.

    I am not cold, and yet November bands
    Compress my heart. I know the month is May,
    And that the sun will warm me if I stay.
    But who is this? Oh, who is this that stands
    Straight in my path, and with his bony ha...

Eric Mackay

A Lover's Litanies - Second Litany. Vox Amorís.[1]

i.

Vouchsafe, my Lady! by the passion-flower,
    And by the glamour of a moonlit hour,
And by the cries and sighs of all the birds
That sing o'nights, to heed again the words
Of my poor pleading! For I swear to thee
My love is deeper than the bounding sea,
    And more conclusive than a wedding-bell,
And freer-voiced than winds upon the lea.

[Footnote 1: This Litany was introduced in the Author's "Gladys the Singer," published by Messrs. Reeves & Turner, London, 1887.]


ii.

In all the world, from east unto the west,
    There is no vantage-ground, and little rest,
And no content for me from dawn to dark,
From set of sun to song-time of the lark,
And yet, withal, there is no man alive
Who for a goodly cause to make it thrive,

Eric Mackay

A Lover's Litanies - First Litany. Virgo Dulcis.

i.

O thou refulgent essence of all grace!
    O thou that with the witchery of thy face
Hast made of me thy servant unto death,
I pray thee pause, ere, musical of breath,
And rapt of utterance, thou condemn indeed
My venturous wooing, and the wanton speed
    With which I greet thee, dear and tender soul!
From out the fullness of my passion-creed.


ii.

I am so truly thine that nevermore
    Shall man be found, this side the Stygian shore,
So meek as I, so patient under blame,
And yet, withal, so minded to proclaim
His life-long ardour. For my theme is just:
A heart enslaved, a smile, a broken trust,
    A soft mirage, a glimpse of fairyland,
And then the wreck thereof in tears and dust.


iii.

Thou wast not...

Eric Mackay

Love Letters of a Violinist. Letter IV. Yearnings.



Letter IV. Yearnings.


I.

    The earth is glad, I know, when night is spent,
    For then she wakes the birdlings in the bowers;
    And, one by one, the rosy-footed hours
    Start for the race; and from his crimson tent
    The soldier-sun looks o'er the firmament;
    And all his path is strewn with festal flowers.


II.

    But what his mission? What the happy quest
    Of all this toil? He journeys on his way
    As Cæsar did, unbiass'd by the sway
    Of maid or man. His goal is in the west.
    Will he unbuckle there, a...

Eric Mackay