Ballad.

She’s up and gone, the graceless girl,

And robb’d my failing years!

My blood before was thin and cold

But now ’tis turn’d to tears; —

My shadow falls upon my grave,

So near the brink¹ I stand,

She might have stay’d a little yet,

And led me by the hand!

Aye, call her on the barren moor²,

And call her on the hill:

’Tis nothing but the heron’s cry,

And plover’s answer shrill³;

My child is flown on wilder wings

Than they have ever spread,

And I may even walk a waste

That widen’d when she fled.

Full many a thankless child has been,

But never one like mine;

Her meat was served on plates of gold,

Her drink was rosy⁴ wine;

But now she’ll share the robin’s food,

And sup the common rill,

Before her feet will turn again

To meet her father’s will!

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

3 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

4 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。