I Smile, but oh! my Heart is Breaking

I MINGLE with the young and gay,In halls where Fashion holds her sway;I gaze upon the giddy throng,While for some quiet spot I long.

They call me heartless. Do they knowThat mirth is but an empty show?That silvery grandeur often shroudsThe storms which lurk within bright clouds?

The eye may beam with dazzling light,And shed on all its glances bright,Yet be unburdened of the tears,That shone like diamonds there, for years.

The lips may breathe the thoughtless word,And yet, too oft alas! unheard,That word may mingle with a sighFrom reckless heart which prays to die.

I seek each joy—I fain would laveMy restless mind in Lethe's wave;But memory is ever waking—I smile, but oh, my heart is breaking.