CANTO THE FIRST V |
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CANTO THE FIRSTV
And they indeed were changed — `tis quickly seen,
Whate`er he be, `twas not what he had been:
That brow in furrow`d lines had fix`d at last,
And spake of passions, but of passion past;
The pride, but not the fire, of early days,
Coldness of mien, and carelessness of praise;
A high demeanour, and a glance that took
Their thoughts from others by a single look;
And that sarcastic levity of tongue,
The stinging of a heart the world hath stung,
That darts in seeming playfulness around,
And makes those feel that will not own the wound:
All these seem`d his, and something more beneath
Than glance could well reveal, or accent breathe.
Ambition, glory, love, the common aim
That some can conquer, and that all would claim,
Within his breast appear`d no more to strive,
Yet seem`d as lately they had been alive;
And some deep feeling it were vain to trace
At moments lighten`d o`er his livid face.
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