Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-05-07

BINoNN nN ~ RHtNR

|'AN '"'N ~ n ~ \ - -
soldier II lhr
Lay dying ee Alglois;
Ihem was iacH " WomaD uufsinR,
Ihofe Was daafih Ol Nonintia tears.
Bot comrade stood beside hhn4
While his life blood eobad away,
And bent with piiylng elances
TO hear whathe miehtsay;
The dying soldier faltered,
As he took that comyade's hand
And he said, Il never more shall see
My own, my native land
Take message aud token
To some distant friend Of mine.
For was born at Biugen--
AT Bingen on the Rhine.
Tell my brothers and companions,
When they meet and crowd around,
To hear my mournful story,
In the pleasant vineyard ground.
That we fought the battle bravely-.
And that when the day was done,
Full many corpsolay ghastly pale
Beneath the setting sun;
And midst the dead and dying,
Were some grown old in wars
The death wounds on their gallant breast,
The last Of many scars
But some were young, and suddenly
Beheld life's morn decline,
And one had come from Bingen--
From Bingon on the Rhine
Tell my mother that her other sons
Shall comfort her old age,
For was still truant bird,
That thought his home a cage;
For my father was a soldier,
And even when child,
My heart leaped forth t0 hear him tell,
OF struggles fierce and wild
And when he died and leftus,
To divide his scanty board
let them take whate'er they would
But kept my fathers sword;
And with boyish love hung it
Where the bright light used to shine,
On the cottage walls at Bingeu-
Calm Bingon on the Rhine
Tell my sister not to weep for me,
And sob with dropping head
When the troops come marching home again
With glad and gallant tread
But 70 look upon them proidly,
With calm and steadfast eye.
- For her brother was soldier, too
And not afraid to die;
And If comrade seek her love,
ask her in my name
To listen to him kindly,
NlbhOuN Fekfl or shame.
Ard to hang the u sword in It's place,
My fathers sword and mine
For the honor Of old Bingcn-
Dear Bingen on the Rhine.
There's another-not a sister
ln happy days gone by.
You'd have known her by the merrimput
That sparkled In her eyes;
Too innocent for coquetry-
Too fond for idle scorning;
Oh, friends, fear the lightest heart
Makes, sometimes, heaviest morning,
Tell her the last night of my life
(For ere this moon be risen,
My body will be out Of pain,
My soul be out Of prison.,
| dreamed stood with her and saw
The yellow sunlight shine
On the vine clad hills of Bingen--
Fair Bingen on the Rhine.
! saw the blue Rhine sweep along
heared, or seemed to hear,
The German songs we used to sirg,
In chorus sweet aud clear
And down the pleasant river
And up the sl0ntiug hill,
The echoing chorus sounded.
Through the evening calm and still.
And her glad blue eyes were on me.
AS we passed with friendly talk,
Down many path beloved of wore
And well remembered walk
And her little hand lay tightly,
Confidingly in mine
but well meet no more at Bngen--
Loved Bingen on the Rhine
His voice grew faint aud hoarse-
His grasp was childish weak
His eyes put on dying look
lie sighed and ceased to speak
His comrade bent to lift him,
But the spark Of life had ned
The soldier Of the Legion
In foreign land was dead |
And the soft moon rose up slowly,
And calmly she looked down
On the red sand Of the battle field
With bloody corpses slrewn;
Yes, calmly on that dreadful scene.
Her pale light seemed to shine,
AS II shone on distant Bingen--
Fair Bingen on the Rhine.