There is no flock, however watched and tended,

But one dead lamb is there;

There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended,

But has one vacant chair.

Henry W Longfellow (1807-1882): Resignation.

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,

Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,

Remembers me of all his gracious parts,

Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King John. Act iii. Sc. 4.

The sun to me is dark

And silent as the moon,

When she deserts the night

Hid in her vacant interlunar cave.

John Milton (1608-1674): Samson Agonistes. Line 86.

Absence of occupation is not rest,

A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.

William Cowper (1731-1800): Retirement. Line 623.

Who with a body filled and vacant mind

Gets him to rest, crammed with distressful bread.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King Henry V. Act iv. Sc. 1.

Absence of occupation is not rest,

A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.

William Cowper (1731-1800): Retirement. Line 623.

The watch-dog's voice that bay'd the whispering wind,

And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.

Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774): The Deserted Village. Line 121.