Poetry Revisited: Sighs for Solitude by J. Sheridan Moore

Sighs for Solitude

(from Spring Life: 1864)

Oh, give to me deep solitudes,
And I will give you princely halls;
My soul prefers the horrent woods,
And rock o'ver which a torrent brawls.

I love to roam by ocean's flood,
And watch its breakers seethe and foam;
To wander over mountains rude,
Where eagles make themselves a home.

The silent glade – the haunted glen –
The shadowed regions of the Dead –
All paths but seldom trod by men –
Are charmëd scenes I love to tread.

In these alone – not all alone,
For star-eyed Psyche's by my side –
I revel in wild joys, unknown
To those who love life's restless tide.

Then give to me grim solitudes,
And I will leave you princely halls;
My soul prefers the horrent woods,
And rocks o'er which a torrent brawls.

Joseph Sheridan Moore (1828-1891)
Australian poet, teacher, and publicist