Poems (Hornblower)/The Farewell
For works with similar titles, see The Farewell.
THE FAREWELL.
We part, but not for ever! I look on
Through, the dim vista of some troubled years
Of 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 read
The language of thy love, winch over all
Flows in paternal kindness, gathering in
Reflected brightness from the fleeting hues
Of outward beauty, and o'er human things
Brooding in deeper fondness; I shall see
In 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 turn
To history's page, and read of noble deeds,
While my cheek kindles, and my spirit burns,
There shall I hail thy spirit, feel the glow
More warm upon my heart, remembering thee;
And if I sink beneath the cares of life,
Unsolaced and unseen, and think the time
Long for a lonely path, then thou shalt stand
And beckon back despair, and point my steps
To 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 fall
From memory's holy shrine—and thou be there,
Thou the still unforgotten!
Through, the dim vista of some troubled years
Of 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 read
The language of thy love, winch over all
Flows in paternal kindness, gathering in
Reflected brightness from the fleeting hues
Of outward beauty, and o'er human things
Brooding in deeper fondness; I shall see
In 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 turn
To history's page, and read of noble deeds,
While my cheek kindles, and my spirit burns,
There shall I hail thy spirit, feel the glow
More warm upon my heart, remembering thee;
And if I sink beneath the cares of life,
Unsolaced and unseen, and think the time
Long for a lonely path, then thou shalt stand
And beckon back despair, and point my steps
To 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 fall
From memory's holy shrine—and thou be there,
Thou the still unforgotten!