"Lee's Last Visit to Stonewall Jackson's Grave" by Adalbert J. Volck‘Little to Regret’ by David Watt The Society March 2, 2022 Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry 20 Comments . Little to Regret When Time has stilled my body __Think of me now and then, Asleep beneath the wattle, __Which flowers yet again. And as the summer follows __With rays I cannot see, Let the warmth embrace you— __My passion cannot be! And when your time approaches __(In many years I trust) Be reassured my darling, __Though I have turned to dust, That when you lie beside me __I’ll recognise you yet, And sleep a deeper sleep— __With little to regret. . . David Watt is a writer from Canberra, the “Bush Capital” of Australia. He has contributed regularly to Collections of Poetry and Prose by Robin Barratt. When not working for IP (Intellectual Property) Australia, he finds time to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of traditional rhyming poetry. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 20 Responses Brian Yapko March 2, 2022 This is so sad and beautiful, David. Thank you for this lovely, heartfelt poem. Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you so much Brian. It’s a simple poem, but written with feeling. Reply Cheryl Corey March 2, 2022 Well-wrought and very touching. Reply Paul Freeman March 2, 2022 Presses all the right buttons and sets off the sprinklers – nicely done David. Reply C.B. Anderson March 2, 2022 I had to look up “wattle” to find that the word can refer to any of various Australian trees or shrubs in the genus Acacia. I didn’t realize that the bush had such a bucolic feel to it. Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Kip, we have at least 800 species of Australian wattle, so the term covers a wide range of plants. However, the silvery-green leaves and golden flowers are typical of the vast majority. The Golden Wattle is the National flower of Australia. I guess that’s one reason why we view it in a pastoral light. Reply David Paul Behrens March 2, 2022 A beautiful poem. Reply Cynthia Erlandson March 2, 2022 Lovely and moving! “Let the warmth embrace you — My passion cannot be!” is a brilliant thought, expressed with poetic conciseness. Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you Cynthia. I’m gratified to know that you find this particular line well expressed. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 2, 2022 David, this is a poetic testament to true love… an eternal love that waits patiently with a song of peace and wonder. The brevity is unusual for you and so effective. What better gift is the peace of “sleep a deeper sleep—/With little to regret.” I love it! Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you very much Susan. This shorter piece is a change from my love of ballads, and generally longer pieces. Sometimes a simple thought can be easier to express effectively. Reply Margaret Coats March 2, 2022 Very clever play with speaker and addressee, David. Though both are living, this is almost a ghost poem, as the speaker imagines death and burial, then gently and lovingly considers his darling in the grave next his own. He will have warm recognition (no passion), the pleasure of which is a deeper sleep! This poem of lasting love is great twist on recalcitrant juvenile “No Regrets” such as current T-shirts display. And with just a single word, you made it Australian. Great work! Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Margaret, I hadn’t thought of the rebellious youth “No Regrets” comparison. You are right in that this demonstration of love is a more mature, even ghostly version of that aspiration. I couldn’t resist adding in the joyous gold of the wattle. Reply Jeff Eardley March 2, 2022 David, a change of tone from you with this heartbreaking piece. I was moved to tears by your words today. Well done. Reply David Watt March 3, 2022 Jeff, I can’t think of a more touching response. Thanks for your appreciation. Reply jd March 2, 2022 Enjoyed very much – a lovely, heartfelt poem. Reply Norma Pain March 3, 2022 So absolutely beautiful, it made me cry. Thank you David. Reply David Watt March 5, 2022 Thank you all for your kind comments. Reply Pippa Kay February 14, 2023 A beautiful poem to be reading on Valentine’s Day. Thank you. Reply Anton June 24, 2024 This is a truly beautiful and touching poem. I loved it so much that I was inspired to compose an art song using ‘Little To Regret’. I would love to show it to you David, I would appreciate if you could get in touch with me. Email: [email protected] Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Brian Yapko March 2, 2022 This is so sad and beautiful, David. Thank you for this lovely, heartfelt poem. Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you so much Brian. It’s a simple poem, but written with feeling. Reply
Paul Freeman March 2, 2022 Presses all the right buttons and sets off the sprinklers – nicely done David. Reply
C.B. Anderson March 2, 2022 I had to look up “wattle” to find that the word can refer to any of various Australian trees or shrubs in the genus Acacia. I didn’t realize that the bush had such a bucolic feel to it. Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Kip, we have at least 800 species of Australian wattle, so the term covers a wide range of plants. However, the silvery-green leaves and golden flowers are typical of the vast majority. The Golden Wattle is the National flower of Australia. I guess that’s one reason why we view it in a pastoral light. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson March 2, 2022 Lovely and moving! “Let the warmth embrace you — My passion cannot be!” is a brilliant thought, expressed with poetic conciseness. Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you Cynthia. I’m gratified to know that you find this particular line well expressed. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 2, 2022 David, this is a poetic testament to true love… an eternal love that waits patiently with a song of peace and wonder. The brevity is unusual for you and so effective. What better gift is the peace of “sleep a deeper sleep—/With little to regret.” I love it! Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Thank you very much Susan. This shorter piece is a change from my love of ballads, and generally longer pieces. Sometimes a simple thought can be easier to express effectively. Reply
Margaret Coats March 2, 2022 Very clever play with speaker and addressee, David. Though both are living, this is almost a ghost poem, as the speaker imagines death and burial, then gently and lovingly considers his darling in the grave next his own. He will have warm recognition (no passion), the pleasure of which is a deeper sleep! This poem of lasting love is great twist on recalcitrant juvenile “No Regrets” such as current T-shirts display. And with just a single word, you made it Australian. Great work! Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Margaret, I hadn’t thought of the rebellious youth “No Regrets” comparison. You are right in that this demonstration of love is a more mature, even ghostly version of that aspiration. I couldn’t resist adding in the joyous gold of the wattle. Reply
Jeff Eardley March 2, 2022 David, a change of tone from you with this heartbreaking piece. I was moved to tears by your words today. Well done. Reply
David Watt March 3, 2022 Jeff, I can’t think of a more touching response. Thanks for your appreciation. Reply
Anton June 24, 2024 This is a truly beautiful and touching poem. I loved it so much that I was inspired to compose an art song using ‘Little To Regret’. I would love to show it to you David, I would appreciate if you could get in touch with me. Email: [email protected] Reply
