 | Poems |  |
121
THE STRANGER.
“From what land dost thou, stranger, come?
From a flowering land as bright as ours?”
“No; but I leave my childhood's home,
My father's hearths, and my mother's bowers!
From a flowering land as bright as ours?”
“No; but I leave my childhood's home,
My father's hearths, and my mother's bowers!
“There is a spot—a sacred spot—
To memory and affection dear,
Which cannot be by me forgot,
Though dim the retrospect and drear.”
To memory and affection dear,
Which cannot be by me forgot,
Though dim the retrospect and drear.”
“Stranger, thou look'st into the eyes
Of all that pass, with sorrowing quest,
As thou sought'st face that should arise
Where'er thy anxious glances rest;
Of all that pass, with sorrowing quest,
As thou sought'st face that should arise
Where'er thy anxious glances rest;
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And I mark thee slowly turn away
With a shudder and a sigh,
As thou wouldst shrink from the light of day,
Or the lightnings of memory!
With a shudder and a sigh,
As thou wouldst shrink from the light of day,
Or the lightnings of memory!
Yet those were faces fair as heaven,
Which flashed back glance for glance,
Which smile for smile had softly given,
Or tear for tear, perchance!”
Which flashed back glance for glance,
Which smile for smile had softly given,
Or tear for tear, perchance!”
“Child of the isles, those faces fair
Were beauteous as calm skies above;
But nought on earth, in heaven, or air,
Is beautiful as love!
Were beauteous as calm skies above;
But nought on earth, in heaven, or air,
Is beautiful as love!
And she, the loved one of my soul,
Dwells in my land of birth—
Though worlds for waves between us roll,
I see but her on earth!”
Dwells in my land of birth—
Though worlds for waves between us roll,
I see but her on earth!”
123
“Stranger, why didst thou leave that land
For our fair but far-off isle,
Far from thy own blessed kindred band,
And thy dear one's worshipped smile?”
For our fair but far-off isle,
Far from thy own blessed kindred band,
And thy dear one's worshipped smile?”
“And hear ye not in these bursting sighs
The exile's wild and hopeless sadness?
And see ye not in these haggard eyes
The exile's dark and mortal madness?”
The exile's wild and hopeless sadness?
And see ye not in these haggard eyes
The exile's dark and mortal madness?”
“Arouse thee! and hope for evermore!
Thy glance towards the future cast!”
“I may find a future on any shore,
But only on one the past!”
Thy glance towards the future cast!”
“I may find a future on any shore,
But only on one the past!”
“Yet, wanderer, yet forbear to grieve,
New friends may grace thy side.”
“New friends, 'tis true may love and live—
There, there my old friends died!
New friends may grace thy side.”
“New friends, 'tis true may love and live—
There, there my old friends died!
124
Those that from childhood's days were proved
Changeless, and faithful-hearted—
Those that in boyhood's hours I loved—
Even from their graves I'm parted!”
Changeless, and faithful-hearted—
Those that in boyhood's hours I loved—
Even from their graves I'm parted!”
“The laughing heavens above thy head,
Stranger, are still the same!”
“Ay, to the happy, and to the dead—
To me, not one pale beam!
Stranger, are still the same!”
“Ay, to the happy, and to the dead—
To me, not one pale beam!
For thee, may thy young heart ne'er know,
Child of these golden isles,
The tears of love, its pangs, its woe—
Aught but its rosy smiles.
Child of these golden isles,
The tears of love, its pangs, its woe—
Aught but its rosy smiles.
But O, for me! I loathe life's breath—
Shrink from these alien skies above—
Nor reap dark joy from thoughts of death,
Far from my land of love!
Shrink from these alien skies above—
Nor reap dark joy from thoughts of death,
Far from my land of love!
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Whose care will guard my grave? whose tears
Water the weed-grown sod?
I dread death's hour as life's long years!”
“Stranger!—hast thou no God?”
Water the weed-grown sod?
I dread death's hour as life's long years!”
“Stranger!—hast thou no God?”
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