HE KNEW SHE NEVER BLAMED HIM.
I
He knew she never blamed him,
He knew she seldom nam'd him.
He saw her mild forgiving look,
A look that half reclaim'd him.
But from his victim flying,
He basely left her dying,
Without a friend, to kneel beside
The couch where she was lying.
II
And does he now regret her?
Yes—striving to forget her,
His truant thoughts fly back again
To scenes where first he met her.
In dreams, as in a mirror,
He trembling sees with terror
A pure heart led to grief and shame,
The penalty of error.
III
None know the thoughts that grieve him;
The fairest maids receive him,
And listen to his flattering voice;
Alas! will they believe him?
Yes! though his guilt be greater,
Though shame and death await her,
Who feels a lover's treachery,
Oh! who will shun the traitor?
