[Editor: This song, written by a young woman, was of a personal nature, and therefore the name of the object of the verses, the person to whom the text was addressed, was not published, with the work being entitled “To J—”, instead of, for example, “To John”. The editor of the newspaper put in his own comment at the end.]
To J——.
Air — “Ah! tune the pipe.”
When thou dost hear that I am gone,
Far from the town away ;
Unhappy, restless, and alone,
In youths first rising day ;
Tho’ all our love is o’er and pass’d,
Still let my name be dear ;
And give me all I ever asked —
I mean a pitying tear.
I loved thee since the first dear hour,
Which saw us happy meet ;
And from that day nought has had power,
To chase the thought so sweet ;
And when that song we both heard last,
Shall meet thy list’ning ear ;
Oh ! give me all I ever asked —
I mean a pitying tear.
Tho’ lovelier, fairer forms, than mine,
Around thy path may stray ;
Tho’ fair blue eyes may beam and shine,
To steal thine heart away ;
Yet when some dark ones court thy sighs,
And tremulous appear ;
Then give me what I most shall prize —
I mean a pitying tear.
*Ann.
* Love seems to have mollified the obduracy of Ann’s Muse, for once. The “strains” of this love-sick lady are so much improved, that we cannot refuse insertion to her chef d’aeuvre. She seems to be as far gone as her adored.
Source:
The Australian (Sydney, NSW), Thursday 10 February 1825, page 3
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