Henry Alford

Sonnet XXI. Sacred To The Memory Of Edward Spedding, Who Died September 3, 1832.

This side the brow of yon sea--bounding hill There is an alley overarched with green, Where thick--grown briers entwine themselves at will; There, twinkling through the under--flowers, is seen The ever--shaking ocean far below; And on the upper side, a rocky wall Where deepest mosses, and lithe ivies grow, And honeysuckle--blooms in clusters fall. There walked I when I last remembered thee; And all too joyfully came o'er my mind Moments of pleasure by the southern sea, By our young lives two summers left behind; Ah, sad--sweet memory;--for that very day The gloom came on which may not pass away.