Subtly, so subtly, the workings of Time
Must alter the shape of the outer shell
Of a body, once vibrant and molded so well!
Slowly, but surely, like a wood-boring worm,
Out of the gloom of a perilous clime,
Firm in the grasp of a seasonable term,
Comes the chill-laden wintry spell
Of sad infirmity in a dismal sphere;
Lost in the woods of a cherished dream,
In the thickening fog of Nature’s scheme,
Midst muffled sounds of distant strains,
Are earlier years that knew no fear
Of time and age; what now remains
Eternity must rightly redeem.