Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems by the late Thomas Haynes Bayly; Edited by his Widow. With A Memoir of the Author. In Two Volumes |
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ONCE 'TWAS MY HOPE. |
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 | Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems |  |
ONCE 'TWAS MY HOPE.
I
Once 'twas my hope, upon this spot,A tender flower to raise,
I thought its bloom would be my pride,
Through many happy days;
But ere the sunbeam's smile had lured
Its perfect fragrance forth,
Its soft leaves sever'd from the stem
Lay trampled on the earth.
I sorrow'd all the winter time,
And bitter tears I shed,
When spring return'd, it found me still
A mourner o'er the dead.
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II
But soon I saw the plant arise,And spurn its earthly tomb,
More beautiful than when I nurs'd
Its infancy of bloom!
That holy lesson in my heart
I'll treasure up with care,
I will not sorrow for the dead
With hopeless wild despair;
For well I know they will shake off
This perishable earth,
And boast an immortality
Of beauty, joy, and worth.
| Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems | |