Memorial Day Author:Richard Burton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: (Bespite the fuss and fustian and the roars The Of laughter that Sir Cap-and-Bells provokes) Prologue. Is still the one brief tragedy that we Spectators... more » ere shall gaze on; that the time Is only hours few, — one afternoon Snatched from a grim eternity of days. Secure in a false ease and thinking, fond, How 'tis the fore-piece that but ushers in The five-act story, — lo ! our life is lived ; The lights go down, and we, half blinking still, Must elbow out into the night and cold, Uncertain whether, as we stumble on, Of all the friendly press whose smiles and tears Made company about us just before, One voice shall hail us, or a fellow hand Stretch forth to touch us in the silent dark. THE OLD TENOR A MONOLOGUE DID you say the singing was only fair ? Sir, if the chance was given me To change from him on the stage up there Straight to a spirit symphony — Well, it might stagger my poor old brain, But I think, on the whole, I back should come To hear these worn sweet notes again, And see yon form that is cumbersome. The why of it all ? It fell, my friend, A matter of forty years ago. The A certain man was nigh his end, OM Lying wracked in a fever glow, Tenor. " And a fine young star, in his flush of fame, Slept to his bedside, took his hand, And strove to kindle life's spent flame By singing songs of the lovely land. Ah, how he sang ! till the sick man turned His face from the wall, and took deep breath. And said, as his eyes with new light yearned, That life ran sweeter far than death If one might hearken to strains like this ; And he swore he would live in death's despite. Then sleep dropt down on him like a kiss, And he woke with his blood all cool and right. Perhaps you can fancy...« less