That this was now, and worse might be to come,
Made the stagnation misery; till, behold,
The sad and silent years wore on;—at length
His musing Spirit said within herself:—
“Oh! for one breath of life; a day, an hour,
Before the irrevocable change;—how great
My power was, had I used it; now ’tis gone.
Where is my wealth? a heap of rotten leaves
Blown to the shores of folly, where it grew;
My cherished body gone, perchance, for ever,