ΤΟ I LOVE thee-none may know how well, Whate'er thou lov'st it is not thine, Should weep, repent,-mayhap, despair-love. Then love me not-thou canst not scorn; And mind-I do not bid thee hate me; EXPERTUS LOQUITUR. "'TIS SAD EXPERIENCE SPEAKS." THERE never was a blessing, or a curse, So sweet, so cruel, as a knack of verse. Glad as the wild bee 'mid a bed of thyme; With dulcet murmuring, all a summer's day, Pleased with himself, and pleased with all mankind, Pass some few years-and see where all will end. Sing in his garret of the flowery grove, And pinch'd with hunger, wail the woes of love. A FAREWELL. NOT ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN THE AUTHOR'S OWN NAME. SWEET vale, tho' I must leave Thy green hills and thy waters, Nor sing again at eve, To charm thy winsome daughters, Yet I shall fondly think of thee, And thy fair maids will think of me, When I am far away. I'll think of thee, but not as men, The fairy lake, tho' still it seems, Is evermore a-flowing; A moment ends the silvery gleams That flash as we are rowing. away. Yet that smooth lake as smooth shall flow, And light oars flash, when gay youths row, When I am far away. So may the tide of virgin life, It dimple with a tear, As soon regain its sweet repose,— And rest in peace, because it flows, For ever on its way. NAY, nay, my boy-'tis not for me, This studious pomp of eastern luxury : With linden twine, Nor seek, where latest lingering blows The solitary rose. Earnest I beg-add not, with toilsome pain, Looks seemliest on thy brow; Nor me mis-seems, while, underneath the vine, Close interweaved, I quaff the rosy wine. DEATH. OH! weep not for the happy dead, To him her virgin soul was wed, And strong in love, to him she fled From mother's house, and parent's smiling board. Alas! we cannot choose but weep, For we are sore bereaven; And all of her that we can keep Is but an image on the deep, The deep calm soul, that shows reflected heaven. If angel spirits aught may know Of hearts they left behind, If e'er they cast a look below, The sacrifice of pious woe May yield a tender joy, even to the angel kind. |