Classic Poem

Amid the shade of a deserted hall
I stand and think on much that hath been lost.
How long it is since other step has cross'd
This time-worn floor; that tapestry is all
Worm-eaten; and those columns rise up tall
Yet crumbling to decay; where banners toss'd
Thin spiders' webs hang now; and bitter frost
Has even killed the flowers upon the wall.
Yet once this was a home brim full of life,
Full of the hopes and fears and love of youth,
Full of love's language speaking without sound:
Here honour was enshrined and kindly truth;
Hither the young lord brought his blushing wife,
And here her bridal garlands were unbound.