Poems (Hornblower)/The Farewell
For works with similar titles, see The Farewell.
THE FAREWELL.
We part, but not for ever! I look onThrough, the dim vista of some troubled yearsOf conflict and of toil, and thou art there,With that unchanging smile, still beautiful;And though I weep that we are parting now,I shall not be alone. On Sabbath morn,All holy things will breathe, in thy mild voice,A deeper sacredness, a meeker trust;And I shall gaze on nature, and shall readThe language of thy love, winch over allFlows in paternal kindness, gathering inReflected brightness from the fleeting huesOf outward beauty, and o'er human thingsBrooding in deeper fondness; I shall seeIn nature's humblest forms some hidden charm,In lowliest minds some undeveloped good,Guided by thy blest trust; and learn, like thee,To feel for all that lives. And if I turnTo history's page, and read of noble deeds, While my cheek kindles, and my spirit burns,There shall I hail thy spirit, feel the glowMore warm upon my heart, remembering thee;And if I sink beneath the cares of life,Unsolaced and unseen, and think the timeLong for a lonely path, then thou shalt standAnd beckon back despair, and point my stepsTo the blest realms of peace,and gently say,"Oh meet me there!" and at those magic words,New hope shall breathe through all my wearied frame,My bonds of earth feel lighter, and at eve,When the deep prayer is trembling on my lips,Repose upon my heart shall softly fallFrom memory's holy shrine—and thou be there,Thou the still unforgotten!