BETRAYED.

BETRAYED.

These verses embody the last thoughts recorded in the Journal of a young lady of a village on the banks of the St. Lawrence, who was found dead in her chamber on a bright June morning of 186—, and was supposed to have committed suicide during the night.

Henceforth a wanderer,Hie thee, my soul,Over life’s frozen waste,Haste to thy goal.O never againShall the down of sweet restPillow thy weariness,Spirit unblest!No fair land of promiseThy vision can reach;No sunshine, no music,No glory of speech.Regrets and reproachesAre idle and weak,And the insult of pityBrings shame to the cheek.Farewell, ruined world!—In the depth of star spacesThere may be sweet slumber,And love-beaming faces.There must be some spotIn this Universe wide,Where a poor wounded doveletMay haste to and hide.The raven has flownTo his perch through the gloom,And the death-watch is callingHis mate in my room.The wail of the winds,And the rapid’s loud roar,Have a weirdness and terrorFelt never before.A gray mist has settledOn land and on sea,And night dews are falling,My spirit, on thee!When daylight is gone,And the glimmer of stars,Like a ghost at the casement,Looks in through the bars,It is time to disrobe,And to kneel down and weep,To forgive and forget,—It is time now to sleep!

Henceforth a wanderer,Hie thee, my soul,Over life’s frozen waste,Haste to thy goal.O never againShall the down of sweet restPillow thy weariness,Spirit unblest!No fair land of promiseThy vision can reach;No sunshine, no music,No glory of speech.Regrets and reproachesAre idle and weak,And the insult of pityBrings shame to the cheek.Farewell, ruined world!—In the depth of star spacesThere may be sweet slumber,And love-beaming faces.There must be some spotIn this Universe wide,Where a poor wounded doveletMay haste to and hide.The raven has flownTo his perch through the gloom,And the death-watch is callingHis mate in my room.The wail of the winds,And the rapid’s loud roar,Have a weirdness and terrorFelt never before.A gray mist has settledOn land and on sea,And night dews are falling,My spirit, on thee!When daylight is gone,And the glimmer of stars,Like a ghost at the casement,Looks in through the bars,It is time to disrobe,And to kneel down and weep,To forgive and forget,—It is time now to sleep!

Henceforth a wanderer,Hie thee, my soul,Over life’s frozen waste,Haste to thy goal.

O never againShall the down of sweet restPillow thy weariness,Spirit unblest!

No fair land of promiseThy vision can reach;No sunshine, no music,No glory of speech.

Regrets and reproachesAre idle and weak,And the insult of pityBrings shame to the cheek.

Farewell, ruined world!—In the depth of star spacesThere may be sweet slumber,And love-beaming faces.

There must be some spotIn this Universe wide,Where a poor wounded doveletMay haste to and hide.

The raven has flownTo his perch through the gloom,And the death-watch is callingHis mate in my room.

The wail of the winds,And the rapid’s loud roar,Have a weirdness and terrorFelt never before.

A gray mist has settledOn land and on sea,And night dews are falling,My spirit, on thee!

When daylight is gone,And the glimmer of stars,Like a ghost at the casement,Looks in through the bars,

It is time to disrobe,And to kneel down and weep,To forgive and forget,—It is time now to sleep!


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