Illustration by Leighton Isaacs. Recording of text below by David Jack.
From George MacDonald's dramatic poem Within and Without:
"And weep not, though the beautiful decay
Within thy heart, as daily in thine eyes;
Thy heart must have its autumn, it's pale skies,
Leading, may hap to winter's dim dismay.
Yet doubt not. Beauty doth not pass away;
Her form departs not, though her body dies.
Secure beneath the earth the snowdrop lies,
Waiting the spring's young resurrection day,
Through the kind nurture of the winter cold.
Nor seek thou by vain effort to revive
The summer-time when roses were alive;
Do thy work - be willing to be old:
Thy sorrow is the husk that doth enfold
A gorgeous June, for which thou need'st not strive."
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