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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 | Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems |  |
THE NEGLECTED CHILD .
I
I never was a favourite,My mother never smiled
On me, with half the tenderness
That bless'd her fairer child.
I've seen her kiss my sister's cheek,
While fondled on her knee;
I've turn'd away to hide my tears—
There was no kiss for me!
183
II
And yet I strove to please, with allMy little store of sense;
I strove to please, and infancy
Can rarely give offence;
But when my artless efforts met
A cold, ungentle check,
I did not dare to throw myself
In tears upon her neck.
III
How blessed are the beautiful!Love watches o'er their birth;
Oh, beauty! in my nursery
I learn'd to know thy worth;
For even there, I often felt
Forsaken and forlorn,
And wish'd—for others wish'd it too—
I never had been born!
IV
I'm sure I was affectionate—But in my sister's face
There was a look of love, that claim'd
A smile or an embrace!
But when I raised my lip, to meet
The pressure children prize,
None knew the feelings of my heart—
They spoke not in my eyes.
V
But, oh! that heart too keenly feltThe anguish of neglect;
I saw my sister's lovely form
With gems and roses deck'd;
I did not covet them—but oft,
When wantonly reproved,
I envied her the privilege
Of being so beloved.
184
VI
But soon a time of triumph came,A time of sorrow too;
For sickness o'er my sister's form
Her venom'd mantle threw;
The features, once so beautiful,
Now wore the hue of death,
And former friends shrank fearfully
From her infectious breath.
VII
'Twas then, unwearied, day and night,I watch'd beside her bed,
And fearlessly upon my breast
I pillow'd her poor head.
She lived—she loved me for my care!
My grief was at an end;
I was a lonely being once,
But now I have a friend!
| Songs, Ballads, and Other Poems | |