A Watcher’s Regret

by Thomas Hardy (1925) — a poem card from Justes Mots

A brief, poignant meditation on the speaker's vigil over a dying wife, where despite lifelong devotion and constant watchfulness, he misses the precise hour of her death. Hardy captures the tragedy of presence without the final moment, emphasizing how even perfect dedication cannot shield us from loss's randomness. The poem resonates with anyone who has kept vigil or experienced the cruel irony of missing a crucial moment.

J. E.’S STORY

I SLEPT across the front of the clock,
Close to the long case-door ;
The hours were brought by their brazen
knock
To my ear as the slow nights wore.
…

Themes: sympathy · grief · reflection