To the wife of the above.
Fair daughter of a sunny clime,[4]
And bride of him we
love,
The grief of those who mourn his
loss,
Hath power thy heart
to move.
E’en now we love thee for
his sake,
But not for his alone,
For in thy heart, a chord we find,
That vibrates with our
own.
We love thee, while thy feet still
roam
Far on a southern shore;
But lead that wand’ring brother
home,
And we will love thee
more.
Come, range New England’s
verdant hills,
And breathe our healthful
air,
’Twill tinge thy cheeks with
brighter bloom,
And make thee still
more fair.
Come, while the vernal zephyrs blow,
And wake to life the
flowers;
Come, while the feathered warblers
sing
Through all our woodland
bowers.
What though our leaves will fade
and fall.
And chilling north winds
blow,
And all New England’s hills
and vales,
Lie buried deep in snow!
Snug dwellings and warm clothing
still
Have power to keep us
warm,—
We sit around the fireside then,
And smile to hear the
storm.
Come, with thy partner, to that
home
Which once he called
his own,
Which his long absence oft has made
Most desolate and lone.
Welcome, twice welcome thou shalt
be,
Yes, welcome as his
bride;
Welcome, I trust, for virtues too,
Which in thy heart abide.
Come, see the grateful tears of
joy
Stand trembling in the
eye
Of those, who never can forget
The lost one, till they
die.
Come, feel the deep impassioned
grasp
Of each extended hand,
Which welcomes that lost wanderer
back
To his dear native land.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 4: The lady addressed is a native of the south.]
COME HOME TO NEW ENGLAND.
To E.E.W. Of Texas.
Come home to New England, the land
of thy birth,
All nations still call her the queen
of the earth.
Oh! come with thy partner and sweet
rosy child,
Where friends in life’s morning,
around you have smiled.
Come, gather wild flowers, from
the brookside and dell,
And fruit from the orchard you once
loved so well,
And feast on the sugar, fresh made
from the grove,
Where you and your brothers delighted
to rove.
Come, sit in the shade of the clustering
vine,
Whose tendrils around the old elm
tree entwine.
Come, range o’er the intervale,
island and plain,
And live o’er the days of
thy boyhood again.
Thy Father in heaven seems acting
his part,
He keeps those alive, once so dear
to thy heart.
Thy brothers and sisters, and nieces
a score,
And nephews, are waiting to greet
thee once more.