Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-08-11
IN THE SHIPKh PASS.
BY GEoRGE SIMS, AUTHOR OF "'osTLER 10

BY GEoRGE SINS, AUTHOR OF "'osTLER JOE"
Yes, it is over, tho victory won,
The smoke is beginning to roll away
Just for q little tho fghting's done;
Still is tho field of tho fearful fray.
Draped on tho arm with the badge of rod,
Over the field the searchers 20,
Seek the wounded among the dead,
And waving their lanterns to and fro.
A fair.faced woman is with the band
Holiest hers of woman's works
"Sister Louise, of the Gentle Hand
So she is called by the wounded Turks
And never such beautiful eyes, ween,
Lighted q soldiers path to God,
And never fairer damc was seen
Kneeling by death on the blood-stained sod.
English: Oh, yes! they can tell you that
And wedded-shc wears the emblem ring;
A widow they guess, whom the soldiers chat
That is the most your questions bring;
But the weight of an awful grief she bears
Hidden away in her heaving breast,
And ever the look on her face she wears
Of the soul that is weary and pines for rest.
But here in the shipka Pass tonight,
Dropping behind in the surgeons train,
She glidcs. ike an angel of holy light,
Down through the rows of CORY slain
Shutting the lids of the staring eyes
Stretching the limbs for their last repose,
On the lips that the thrills of death unclosc.
Here, mid the wreck of thousand braves.
Shattered aud shot in q hopeless cause,
White and wan in the moonlight waves,
Der heap Of slain see the sister pause
Pause for moment and reel away,
Smitten as if by a sabre stroke,
For there at her feet two wounded lay,
Their faces black with the battle smoke
She has gazed on death in a hundred shapes,
And the horrible wounds of the modern strife,
And now from her lips cry escapes
AS she bends her car for the sounds OF life.
They live. they breathe-yet she turns to fly,
And her face is hot with great white heat,
For there together these wounded lie,
Two loves betrayed, at her craven feet.
Husband and lover! O God above
Ifmercy there be for the worst of sins,
Grant that her prayer to the throne of love
Some balm for her horrible anguish wins!
Husband and lover and side by sido,
With their e.blood flowing mingled stream,
What wonder the shvcring woman cried
'Wake me, Q God tbs CHASTITY dream.
" 'Tis dream-a dream of the long ago,
am gay tonight in tho giddy whrl;
And Raymond no follows me to and fro
With his ceaseless chiding OF Foolish girl
He is Jealous, this hurley lord OF mine
Jealous of rattlepatc, handsome Guy;
| am sure VIC are careful to draw tho line
i
"'Tis dream-a dream have left bis home
He struck me, wounded my woman's pride;
We are hiding in lodgings abroad-in Romc
And the tale of our flight is far and wide.
Guy hears from home he has trusty friends
Who give us the news of my husbands quest;
In letter to-day ono tdings SENDS
MY shame is safe in my husbands breast
II hate him now, Had he sought the law,
The law would at least have set me frce
What was it stayed his hand? Ho saw
That Guy might have given his name to me.
a fig for such love as his, say,
1t wasn't thing to be named with Guys;
For me he has flung the world away,
And am the world in his noble eyes.
IT'S drcam-a dream. DO hear Alright:
He has told my people twas his the blame,
And now he is going abroad to fight
With tears in his cyos ho shields my fame
Raymond! my husband. God, was mad.
Ever to torture heart so true.
He is my husband-O 0 that he had
Never cause my love to rue.
~ have parted forever from Guy to-day;
Never again will look On his face;
From the baunts of mon will wander away,
Hiding forever my souls disgrace.
The glorious East is ablaZc with war
In mission of mercy may guilt atone
am Sister Louise, of the Ambulance Corps,
l am here with the dead tonight, alone.
"Spare me my rcsson, 0 Lord, awhile.
The blast of the night wind cools my brow.
wanton and wicked, am too vile
For Thy cleansing fires to purge ME now?
Tis Il dream-a dream-bood has turned my
brain
will not look at these things below;
There are the lights Of the surgeons train
Oh, but they hear me notion they 60.
Chow cold comes the blast of the icy north
1t seizes my throat and stops my breath;
Or has Thy merciful word gone forth?
Arc these tho chills of the coming death?
Husband and lover, or dying or dead,
Room, if your brave souls be not 10th,
Room for the woman to lay her head
Who ruined your lives and loved you both.
Husband and lovor-oh, speak one word
Here in the gloom Of the Eastern night
They answer me not, they have not heard,
Or hearing, they have not heard Alright
How came you lying here side by side,
Here in the ranks of the slaughtered Turks?
Speak to mistress-tell your bride,
While still in my brain some reason lurks'
"Both of them dead! I am glad tits So
For taking hand of each in mine,
I can kiss them both now they IL neither Know
And whisper their names to the King divine
Husband and lover here hand and hand
Our bodies will lie in the blood-stalned grass
And at dawn tomorrow the searching band
Will give US one grave in the Shipka Pass
~, , 7r1NTT Y1TNTT