Oft, in the stilly night
Ere slumber's chain has bound me
Fond memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
The smiles, the tears
Of boyhood years
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone
Are dimm’d and gone
The cheerful hearts now broken!
Thus, in the stilly night
Ere slumber's chain has bound me
Sad memory brings the light
Of other days around me

When I remember all
The friends, so link'd together
I’ve seen around me fall
Like leaves in wintry weather;
I feel like one
Who treads along
Some banquet-hall deserted
Whose lights are fled
And garlands dead
And all but he departed!
Thus, in the stilly night
Ere slumber's chain has bound me
Sad memory brings the light
Of other days around me
Oft, in the stilly night
Ere slumber's chain has bound me