After by Philip Bourke Marston

In the poem ‘After’ by Philip Bourke Marston, the speaker takes on a despondent tone as he explores the ‘eternity’ that he feels trapped in, separated from his lover in a state of grief at having lost her. The title of the poem – ‘After’ – underscores the fact that the poem’s topic is the anguish of unrequited love, which can seem to last forever if it is unprocessed and unresolved.

Read the full poem below:

‘After’ by Philip Bourke Marston

A LITTLE time for laughter,

— A little time to sing,

— A little time to kiss and cling,

And no more kissing after.

A little while for scheming

— Love’s unperfected schemes;

— A little time for golden dreams,

Then no more any dreaming.

A little while ’twas given

— To me to have thy love;

— Now, like a ghost, alone I move

About a ruined heaven.

A little time for speaking

— Things sweet to say and hear;

— A time to seek, and find thee near,

Then no more any seeking.

A little time for saying

— Words the heart breaks to say;

— A short sharp time wherein to pray,

Then no more need of praying;

But long, long years to weep in,

— And comprehend the whole

— Great grief that desolates the soul,

And eternity to sleep in.

Philip Bourke Marston

From An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope

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