University of Virginia Library

A POEM

Sacred to the Memory of Miss Margaret Lawson, Miss Elizabeth Lawson, Miss Dorothy Lawson, and Miss Elizabeth Read.

As whilom roving o'er the lonely Plain,
Pensive and sad, my Soul distract with Grief
For unexpected woes; yet still intent
My Thoughts on Thee, O God, and on thy Ways,
Thy deep mysterious Ways with mortal Man;
Struck with thy various Dispensations, long
In humble Adoration lost, I stood.
“Surely (I said), the God that's just and wise,
“And good and pow'rful needs must act aright:
“And who shall say, What dost thou? to what end?”
Yet still, when anxious, I presum'd to scan
His late tremendous Act; t' explore the Cause,
Why sweetest Innocence and loveliest Youth,
Fell such an early Sacrifice to Death:
Why beauteous Margaretta, peerless Maid!
The two Elizas, faultless both as fair,
And gentle Dorothea, heav'nly Child!
So sudden left us, left us, to bewail
Beauties and Graces, that with Rapture long
We'ad view'd perfection op'ning; Thought
Was in Amazement sunk, I look'd astound,
And all was Chaos round me: Like the Sage,
Who, when exploring great Creation's Laws,
Finds Difficulties not to be explain'd,
And owns his Reason's dim short sighted Pow'rs.
Strait I cried out; “Inscrutable thy Ways,
“Thy Counsels and thy Will, O sov'reign Lord!”
Long in the dark Perplexity my Soul
Was not involv'd; I onward bent my Way,
And to yon Empyrean lift my eyes,
Tho' dubious, yet adoring; when behold!
The Face of Heav'n was chang'd; the gloomy Clouds
Divided and stream'd out a shining Light,
Radiance, as is a Summer's Sun at Noon.
Surpriz'd I stopp'd and contemplated strait
The blest Appearance, when a heav'nly Form
Broke forth, and stood before me; such her Charms
“As make Expression dumb;” her Voice, her Mien
Spoke Margaretta; but, tho' lovely she
When mortal, yet a thousandth thousandth Part
She had not of the Beauties that beam'd forth
Now from her Face celestial; nobler Sweets
Than or Arabia, or the spicy Isles
E'er boasted, from her breath'd; she look'd, she smil'd,
As Angels Look and Smile, to some good Man
On happy errand sent. I stood entranc'd
In speechless Rapture, while the Charmer spoke
(Such Sounds none surely but Immortals hear),
She spoke, and fill'd me with ecstatic Joy.
“O thou, my Father's Friend, and therefore mine,
“To thee I'm sent, to teach thee how to chear
“The drooping Hearts of those, whose Parent-Love
“Strikes them with bootless Grief, and fills their Eyes
“With streaming Sorrows for their dear beloved.
“Alas! why mourn they? Mourn they not for them,
“Who to Eternity are blest? For them,
“Who tread you happy heav'nly Plains, where reign
“Immortal Peace and Pleasure? Joy is there,
“Such Joy as mortal Eye ne'er yet as seen,
“Nor mortal Tongue exprest, nay more; the Heart
“Of Man, will ne'er conceive, 'till they, like us
“Thereto have blest Admittance. Oh! that thou,
“Or that my Father, or that honour'd Dame,
“Who bore me in the Womb, who train'd me up
“From Infancy, in Virtue's heav'nly Road;
“O that you knew, what Joy celestial struck
“Our ravish'd Senses, when advanced first
“To what we now possess! From your dull Earth
“Short was our Passage, and but slight our Pain,
“Death's a mere Bug-bear, which, because untried,
“Vain Man thinks all that's horrible and dire.
“Far, far from this;—to those, who like Ourselves
“Walk in the Ways of Pleasantness and Peace,
“In Wisdom's Ways, he is the kindest Friend.
“Scarce had we felt the Danger that you mourn'd
“When from our Bodies mounted blithe our Souls,
“And flew to light, so lively that we soon
“Reach'd the desired goal; as soon forgot
“The idle World we 'ad left behind, and blest
“The Means that disengag'd us from our Clay:
“But this is nought to the ecstatic Bliss
“We prov'd, when to the bright Assembly join'd
“Of just Men perfect made; when 'mid a Host
“Of Cherubim and Seraph we approach'd
“The King of Kings, in Glory bright array'd,
“And join'd in Allelujahs to the Lamb
“That sat by him enthron'd, Omnipotence
“And Majesty and Holiness divine,
“And boundless Wisdom, Justice, Goodness, Love,
“Are now the Theme of our eternal Songs.
“This, this the Happiness, for which we've left
“Your nether World; and say, tho' Children ne'er
“Enjoy'd from Parents a sincerer Love,
“Can we regret the blessed Change? Ah, no!
“Tho' dear unto us still, yet wou'd we not
“For all then thousand Worlds like yours can yield
“Quit yon blest Plains, to tread with them again
“Your sordid Earth. Your Message then be this:
“Tell them to sigh no more for us; our God
“In kind Compassion to themselves hath call'd
“The darling Objects of their Souls away.
“Of us depriv'd, they now must surely know
“The Vanity of earthly Bliss, and feel,
“Sensibly feel, that they must seek for Joy
“In other Worlds, in Worlds where only Joy
“Is to be found: Their best Affections then
“Set they on Things above; and soon shall we
“In Heaven's due time to yon immortal Shores
“Hail them arriv'd: Their happy Daughters there
“Again shall they behold; and with them live
“Eternal Ages, never more to part.”