[Editor: This poem by William Blocksidge (also known as William Baylebridge) was published in Songs o’ the South (1908).]
XXIII.
Alone
What wonder if I weep and sigh!
What wonder if my heart makes moan!
For she has gone, has gone; and I
Am left alone, alone!
She stole across my path, this maid,
In manner unassuming: she
Hid all her charms within a shade
Of sweetest modesty.
Ah! soon she taught me well to know
The tender pang, the sacred peace
Of souls commingled, and the glow
Of love that cannot cease.
For on her features there was writ
A beauty none may plainly tell;
And in her bosom there did sit
A loving heart, as well.
Speed, time of sorrow! Now and on,
Poor soul, thou must abide in pain —
The golden hours of love are gone,
And ne’er will come again.
What wonder if I weep and sigh!
What wonder if my heart makes moan!
For she has gone, has gone; and I
Am left alone, alone!
Source:
William Blocksidge, Songs o’ the South, London: Watts, 1908, pp. 35-36
Editor’s notes:
commingle = combine together, to blend, intermix, intermingle
maid = maiden, young woman, young female (may also refer to a female servant)
ne’er = (vernacular) an archaic contraction of “never”
stole = moved quietly and/or secretly; crept (can also refer to a long scarf, shawl, or vestment; or to the past tense of taking material, money, or goods illegally or without permission)
thou = (archaic) you
writ = (archaic) written; writing; write; can also refer to a court order which directs someone to carry out an act, or to refrain from carrying out an act; may also refer to something written, or to a document considered to be the most authoritative in its field, e.g. Holy Writ (the Bible, or a passage from the Bible)
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