Thomas Hardy: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

To Outer Nature

Thomas Hardy

“To Outer Nature” as printed in Wessex Poems and Other Verses (1899).

Thomas Hardy: Collected Lyrics Text 44 1899 · historical text
Public domainSong lyricsWessex verse
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from Wessex Poems and Other Verses, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

SHOW thee as I thought thee

When I early sought thee,

Omen-scouting,

All undoubting

Love alone had wrought thee—

Verse 2

Wrought thee for my pleasure,

Planned thee as a measure

For expounding

And resounding

Glad things that men treasure.

O for but a moment

Of that old endowment—

Light to gaily

See thy daily

Irisèd embowment!

But such readorning

Time forbids with scorning—

Makes me see things

Cease to be things

They were in my morning.

Fad'st thou, glow-forsaken,

Darkness-overtaken!

Thy first sweetness,

Radiance, meetness,

None shall reawaken.

Verse 3

Why not sempiternal

Thou and I? Our vernal

Brightness keeping,

Time outleaping:

Passed the hodiernal!

Credits

Written by Thomas Hardy

Words by Thomas Hardy. Historical text published in Wessex Poems and Other Verses (1899); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

Wessex Poems and Other Verses (1899), “To Outer Nature”

The 1899 published edition is in the public domain in the United States (pre-1931 publication). Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) died more than 96 years ago and his works entered the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions in 1999; entries credited to other hands are held unless their author died more than 70 years ago.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

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Retrieved 2026-10-27. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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