The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
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Maidens' song from St. Winefred's Well)_ THE LEADEN ECHO How to keep--is there any any, is there none such, nowhere known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, lace, latch or catch or key to keepBack beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, . . . from vanishing away? O is there no frowning of these wrinkles, ranked wrinkles deep,Down? no waving off of these most mournful messengers, still messengers, sad and stealing messengers of grey?No there's none, there's none, O no there's none,Nor can you long be, what you now are, called fair,Do what you may do, what, do what you may,And wisdom is early to despair:Be beginning; since, no, nothing can be doneTo keep at bayAge and age's evils, hoar hair,Ruck and wrinkle, drooping, dying, death's worst, winding sheets, tombs and worms and tumbling to decay;So be beginning, be beginning to despair.O there's none; no no no there's none:Be beginning to despair, to despair,Despair, despair, despair, despair.
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