To Thomas Moore
To Thomas Moore - meaning Summary
Farewell Toast to a Friend
Byron’s short dedication to Thomas Moore reads as a convivial farewell and pledge of friendship. Using voyage and desert imagery, the speaker offers convivial toasts — to friends, to foes, and to shared fate — promising steadfast goodwill even amid danger or death. The poem frames drinking as a ritual of reconciliation and loyalty, closing with a personal, celebratory libation addressed directly to Moore.
Read Complete AnalysesMy boat is on the shore, And my bark is on the sea; But, before I go, Tom Moore, Here’s a double health to thee! Here’s a sigh to those who love me, And a smile to those who hate; And, whatever sky’s above me, Here’s a heart for every fate. Though the ocean roar around me, Yet it still shall bear me on; Though a desert should surround me, It hath springs that may be won. Were’t the last drop in the well, As I gasp’d upon the brink, Ere my fainting spirit fell, ‘Tis to thee that I would drink. With that water, as this wine, The libation I would pour Should be -peace with thine and mine, And a health to thee, Tom Moore!
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