 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
535
Farewell
“Farewell dear England, and thy Church farewell!Farewell all Christian friends abiding there!”
Such were the words from Puritans that fell;
A holy benediction, and a prayer,
As from old England's coast our fathers sailed;
Sweet memories and tender filled each heart,
And o'er the sense of loss & wrongs prevailed,
How hard from homes and dearest friends to part!
What gave them courage, o'er the ocean wide,
To seek upon this wild, and unknown shore,
Freedom to worship God, at home denied?
And what sustained them in the toils they bore?
Conscience, that doth self-sacrifice approve,
And trust in God's protecting care and love.
Poem No. 116; c. 1878–80
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