Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-09-29
TO AMELIA.
She died "as the grass:

-
She died s'as the grass,
yYh;eh ,pithereth atore Il grooeih up;
IY1ere,,iM the ruo,cer filsth not hts ha'd,
ns;tber he that biadeth Sleaues he's BOSOM
while the moor wanderer of life is in this vale of tears
r.. ;,, he hours when hearts look back to dear de-
parted years;
Aronnd him the night is falling fast he feels the evening
chill,
BUT sees warm sunshine lingering yet, on youths tar
distant HILL
The lovely form ofyouhul hope revislts his sad hear
And iov that long since babe farewell, but could not
quite depart,
And friendship once SO passing sweet, too pure and
strong to die,
nj those delicious tears oflove he did not wish to dry
oft remember thus, and feel the mystery OF the hour;
know not then if 10y or grief possess the mightier
power;
While many alov'd departed tits pleasure to recall
Tisangush to remember thee, the love hest ofthem all
yesi sadly welcomed and with tears, is now and long
s must be,
The memory of my parting hour, my earnest irieid
from thee;
For common hopes and common joys deeply mourn
apart
But the remembrance of that loss-lt thunderstrSeS
the heart!
For OH how fast and fervently, when Life IS IN the
spring,
Hand bound to hand and heart to heart the young at
fec;ons cling;
a.. early and unalterng love souls were joined IN
one,
undone.
Now death hath thrown us wide apart; but memory
treasures yet,
Too painful to remember now, too lovely to forget,
Thy manner like an angels pure, thy mild and mournnl
grace,
And all the rosy light of youth that kinded in thy face;
The open brow with sunny curls around its arches
thrown,
The speaking eye through which the soul In melting
radiance shone,
The smile that lighted up the lip with bright and pen
siye glow,
And the dark shade that DER it passed. when be-
gan to iow
And henhow sterny beautiful the spirit bold and high
That lighted DER thy marble brow and filed thy radiant
eye,
When seated by the evening fire or rambling side by
side,
We read how holy sufferers lived, or glorious martyrs
died!
And thus with feeling all the same--with bright and
earnest eye,
We held communion long and sweet with ocean, earth
and sky;
They told the glory ofOur Godthey bore our thoughts
above,
And made us purer weheard their eloquence of love
- ..;+b;,, III taroo1a wallS etOod with childish
And wondered why our fathers feared God they
ers saw,
Till we had learned and loved to raise our early offering
there,
TO join the deep and plaintve hymn, pour souls
in prayer
Was thisa happiness too pure for ering to know
Or why did heaven destroymy paradise below?
For lovely as the vision was, it sunk away soon
As when quick and cold eclipse the SUN grows dark
at noon
gazed with trembling on time eye--its living light
was fed!
Upon thy cheek deeply stained the cold unnatural
red;
The violet vein that wandered up beneath thy shining
hair,
contrasted with thy snowy brow-the seal of death
was there!
End then thy sweet and gentle voice confirmed that we
must part!
THAT voice whose every tone, till then, was music to
my heart!
shuddered at the warning wordsI could not let thee
go,
And leave me journeying here alone in WEAKNESS and
wo.
But thou art gone-too early gone-and am doomed
to stay,
Perhaps till many year has rolled its weary weight
away:
Thou vast the glory Of my heartmy hopes were hea-
venly fair,