mezzo cammin1 —by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Half of my life is gone, and I have let The years slip from me and I have not fulfilled The aspiration of my youth, to build Some tower of song, with lofty parapet. Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fret Of restless passions that would not be stilled, But sorrow, and a care that almost killed, Kept me from what I may accomplish yet; Though, half-way up the hill, I see the Past Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,— A city in the twilight dim and vast, With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights,— And hear above me on autumnal blast The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.   1Written at Boppard on the Rhine, 25 August 1842, just before leaving for home. Page last updated 21 Feb 2006 Van Gogh Starry Background & Ireland's OWN Logo by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN. All Rights Reserved.