Classic Poem

Thou hast wounded the spirit that loved thee,
And cherished thine image for years,
Thou hast taught me at last to forget thee,
In secret, in silence, and tears,
As a young bird when left by its mother,
Its earliest pinions to try,
Round the nest will still lingering hover,
Ere its trembling wings to try.

Thus we're taught in this cold world to smother
Each feeling that once was so dear;
Like that young bird I'll seek to discover
A home of affection elsewhere.
Though this heart may still cling to thee fondly
And dream of sweet memories past,
Yet hope, like the rainbow of summer,
Gives a promise of Lethe at last.

Like the sunbeams that play on the ocean,
In tremulous touches of light,
Is the heart in its early emotion,
Illumined with versions as bright.
Yet ofttimes beneath the waves swelling,
A tempest will suddenly come,
All rudely and wildly dispelling
The love of the happiest home.