Poems (Emma M. Ballard Bell)/Alma Mater, Fare Thee Well
ALMA MATER! FARE THEE WELL.
To meetings on this earth, a parting must be,And solemn and sacred our parting from thee,Thy walls, Alma Mater, so long were our home,So oft have we gathered beneath thy loved dome;
So often thy voice, with its clear ringing tone,Hath called us to thee in the days that are flown;—While Mem'ry shall cherish with care and delightHer treasures most noble, or holy or bright.
She'll cherish thee sacredly, tenderly, long;Yes, cherish thee still, when the words of our songForgotten may be, and our spirit its flightHath winged to the land of the true and the bright.
Thy walls, Alma Mater, may crumble away,The love that we cherish thee cannot decay;For time shall but brighten remembrance of thee,And through fleeting years thou but dearer shalt be.
By light o'er the days of our girlhood thou'st thrown,In womanhood's years be thy influence known,Now while o'er our souls rests this sad holy spell,We tenderly, tearfully, bid thee farewell.