A Song Of Suicide Poem by Robert William Service

A Song Of Suicide

Rating: 3.1


Deeming that I were better dead,
"How shall I kill myself?" I said.
Thus mooning by the river Seine
I sought extinction without pain,
When on a bridge I saw a flash
Of lingerie and heard a splash . . .
So as I am a swimmer stout
I plunged and pulled the poor wretch out.

The female that I saved? Ah yes,
To yield the Morgue of one corpse the less,
Apart from all heroic action,
Gave me a moral satisfaction.
was she an old and withered hag,
Too tired of life to long to lag?
Ah no, she was so young and fair
I fell in love with her right there.

And when she took me to her attic
Her gratitude was most emphatic.
A sweet and simple girl she proved,
Distraught because the man she loved
In battle his life-blood had shed . . .
So I, too, told her of my dead,
The girl who in a garret grey
Had coughed and coughed her life away.

Thus as we sought our griefs to smother,
With kisses we consoled each other . . .
And there's the ending of my story;
It wasn't grim, it wasn't gory.
For comforted were hearts forlorn,
And from black sorrow joy was born:
So may our dead dears be forgiving,
And bless the rapture of the living.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Robert E Hann 01 December 2007

A very touching tale indeed with moral for us all to heed. Although it seems you can't go on. The darkest hour's before the dawn. But dawn will come and in the light The future may come into sight and then quite unexpectedly You're right back where you want to be.

15 2 Reply
Owen Service 16 December 2011

Grin would be my favorite amongst the published

11 2 Reply
Grace H 24 February 2021

Good poem. Wish I could have a happy ending.

1 0 Reply

U will

0 0
Grace H 24 February 2021

Was looking for something I could relate to but I sadly found a happy ending

0 0 Reply
Anna Ayyad 19 May 2020

He has such a knack for simple truths

2 0 Reply
BHAVIKA 21 June 2018

It's very sensitive and beautiful.

2 0 Reply
B Harris 06 January 2018

Great ending.

3 1 Reply
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