Classic Poem

Thou art gone to thine island home,
On the Caribbean shore—
Gone to thy dear old native scenes,
Among thy friends of yore.

May health, and joy, and hope be thine,
Dear comfort of my life;
May Heaven's protecting care attend
My darlings and my wife!

Two little darlings, sweet and bright,
With tiny hands and feet—
With raven hair and jetty eyes,
And voices dear and sweet.

They are my jewels and my wealth—
My joy, my life, my all;
And heavenly music 'tis to me
Whene'er I hear them call!

But they are gone, and I, alone,
Am lonesome and bereft;
My life has been a joyless blank
E'er since my darlings left.

But, ah! this sadd'ning loneliness
Will last but for a time:
They'll soon return, and, in my heart,
I'll hear their voices chime!

My darling wife and little ones,
Far o'er the foaming main,
Weeks will be months, and months long years,
Until you come again!

Come back to me, come back to me,
From o'er the foaming, raging sea:
Come back—your home is in my heart,
And from its fold no more depart.

Come back, for days and nights are drear,
And home seems desolate and queer;
The sunny joys of home have fled,
And chaos reigns o'er floor and bed.

Come back, your chickens go half-fed;
The weeds have worn—your flow'rs are dead!
Disorder rules supreme o'er all,
And webs are thick on every wall.

Come back with sunny joys and smiles,
Come back with laughing hearts and eyes;
Come back to soothe, come back to cheer,
And all this sad confusion clear.