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 | The forest minstrel |  |
Within the cabin of that fated ship,
Beat many an anxious bosom. There was one
Who long ago forsook his native land,
To woo the goddess Fortune. He had sought,
By nights of watching, days of toil and care,
Stern self-denial, and the sacrifice
Of every generous impulse, to obtain
Her gracious golden smile; and he had won
The envy-moving treasure; he was rich!
And his heart swelled with triumph, as he dwelt
Upon the consequence, the lordly pomp,
The proud superior air he would assume
Amongst his schoolday equals. Oh, how vain!
Beside him sat his young and lovely wife,
Busied with other thoughts; for she had left
Youth's consecrated home, and fond regrets
Were shadowing forth the memories of days,
And joys, and loved ones, that would never more
Come sweetly to her spirit; she had left
Her all for one whom she had never loved,
Who wooed and won her, as the fowler takes
The wild bird in his net, and who would keep
His bright-winged pet a captive, to adorn
His splendid mansion, and to pour her tones
Of mellow sweetness only on his ear.
Beat many an anxious bosom. There was one
Who long ago forsook his native land,
To woo the goddess Fortune. He had sought,
By nights of watching, days of toil and care,
Stern self-denial, and the sacrifice
Of every generous impulse, to obtain
Her gracious golden smile; and he had won
The envy-moving treasure; he was rich!
And his heart swelled with triumph, as he dwelt
Upon the consequence, the lordly pomp,
The proud superior air he would assume
Amongst his schoolday equals. Oh, how vain!
Beside him sat his young and lovely wife,
Busied with other thoughts; for she had left
Youth's consecrated home, and fond regrets
Were shadowing forth the memories of days,
And joys, and loved ones, that would never more
Come sweetly to her spirit; she had left
Her all for one whom she had never loved,
Who wooed and won her, as the fowler takes
The wild bird in his net, and who would keep
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His splendid mansion, and to pour her tones
Of mellow sweetness only on his ear.
| The forest minstrel | |