A Song of Going

I would not like to live to be very old,
To be stripped cold and bare
Of all my leafage that was green and gold
In the delicious air.

I would not choose to live to be left alone,
The children gone away,
And the true love that I have leant upon
No more my staff and stay.

I would not live to stretch my shrivelled hands
To an old fire died low,
Minding me of the long-lost happy lands
And children long ago.

Let me be gone while I am leafy yet
And while my birds still sing,
Lest leafless, birdless, my dull heart forget
That ever it had Spring.

Media: <html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">A Song of Going</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line">I <span class="smallcaps">would</span> not like to live to be very old,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">To be stripped cold and bare</p><p class="line">Of all my leafage that was green and gold</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">In the delicious air.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">I would not choose to live to be left alone,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">The children gone away,</p><p class="line">And the true love that I have leant upon</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">No more my staff and stay.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">I would not live to stretch my shrivelled hands</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">To an old fire died low,</p><p class="line">Minding me of the long-lost happy lands</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">And children long ago.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Let me be gone while I am leafy yet</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">And while my birds still sing,</p><p class="line">Lest leafless, birdless, my dull heart forget</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">That ever it had Spring.</p></div></body></html>