THOUGH odours sweet o’er Paphian gales were flung,
When mid thy shade the shrine of Venus stood,
Italia’s muse, more sweet, thy praise has sung,
When crown’d the Empress of the enchanted wood.
Yet hence, each thought profane! nor poet’s dream,
Nor visionary flowers, must here be sought;
Truth’s simple tale is all I make my theme;
My muse of sorrow–but by nature taught.
In a lone Cot, o’er which the sea-breeze blew,
Which oft the tempest, as in pity, spared;
When the wild wave o’er towering head-lands flew,
And the lorn eagle from his aerie scared.
There, humble Virtue, peaceful midst the storm,
Fear’d not the terrors of the angry deep;
A widow’d heart, once with affection warm,
Lived but to memory there,–to sigh or weep.
She mourn’d her son! whom had the wave intomb’d,
Far happier had his mother deem’d his state;
He by the murderer’s stroke to death was doom’d,
And the harsh master’s hand, alas! was Fate.
O Heaven! what shivering horror chill’d her heart,
When to her ear the mournful tale was told!
“Bring me my son” she cried, “we will not part:
“Ah me! he breathes not; no, he’s pale and cold.”
E’en on the bier already was he laid,
And o’er his corse was strew’d each drooping flower,
By many a sighing youth, and pitying maid,
With greenest myrtle, cull’d in hapless hour.
One tender branch his weeping mother took
From his cold hand, and press’d it to her heart,
Threw o’er his pallid form an anguish’d look,
And cried “Oh! never from this branch I’ll part.”
Full many a year is now long past away,
Since to her garden was the branch convey’d,
And still ‘t is water’d by her tears each day,
And oft a sigh from pitying youth and maid.
Now, as though grateful for her tender care,
Its leaves expanding beautify the wild,
And, as its fragrance steals along the air,
The mourning mother sighs, “So bloom’d my child.”
(Mrs. Walter Spencer)
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Based on Topics: Sadness Poems, Death & Dying Poems, Youth Poems, Heaven Poems, Dreams Poems, Flowers Poems, Cry Poems, Fear Poems, Fate & Destiny Poems, Sons Poems, Truth PoemsBased on Keywords: sea-breeze, paphian, aerie, intomb, there-to, sorrow-but