iBibliotlicquf Jlationalc Dii (Qiirbrc 
 
^ 
 
 THE 
 
 itiWi 
 
 riri| 
 
 A POEM. 
 
 BY WALTER H. DEBMOT 
 
 Boldly dare the azure summit, 
 Hope to win and strire to hold ; 
 
 He who rears by line and plummet 
 Builda for ages yet untold : 
 
 Doubting, fearing, wanting, trust, 
 
 Soul-born beauties fade to dust. 
 
 &'vrap Book' 
 
 OTTAWA: 
 l^RINTED BVT HUNTER, ROSE & COMPANY. 
 
 1869. 
 
 t>€): 
 
P82I.89 
 
THE 
 
 ^ituriii 
 
 mrieBt'^^ 
 
 A. POEM. 
 
 BY WALTER H . V E K JI T 
 
 boldly iluru the uzurc Mimuiil, 
 Hopu to win and' strive tu hold ; 
 
 lie who rears dy Hue iiiid |>lumincl 
 Huilds for a;:c.s yet untold ; 
 
 Doubting, fearing, wanting, trust, 
 
 Soul-born boauticti fade to dust. 
 
 S'-inp Hook- 
 
 • • » • 
 
 • • • t • 
 
 • • • . 
 
 • III. 
 
 OTTAWA: 
 PRINTED BY HUNTER, ROSE & COiMPANY. 
 
 1869. 
 
• • • • • 
 
 • • • • • • 
 
 B. 
 
 NO 
 
 qTrH 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 TO 
 
 I. B. TAYLOR, ESQTIIRE, 
 
 EDITOR OP "THE OTTAWA CITIZEN." 
 SlU, 
 
 I beg leave in return for tlie many kindnesses which I havo 
 received at your liands, to dedicate to you, this, the first poem which I offer 
 for universal criticism. 
 
 From you I received my first encouragement, and to you, should this 
 little waif bring praise, I offer my first laurels, but should it prove un- 
 worthy of itB dedication, then T can but still remain 
 
 Gratefully yours. 
 
 The Author. 
 
 56603 
 
. '"^ 
 
 ^ »« *4 .^ 
 
THK 
 
 AUTUMN WREATH. 
 
 When the leaves were brown and golden, 
 
 And the flowers lay dead around, 
 
 And zephyrs were faintly sighing 
 
 For the summer slowly dying. 
 
 Then I found : 
 
 Midst nature's beauties fading — 
 
 Midst the scenes she loved so well, 
 
 A dark-eyed Gipsy maiden 
 
 With the drooping treasures laden 
 
 With the wild flowers of each dell. 
 
 And she twined them in a garland, 
 
 And she placed them on her head, 
 
 And she smiled with tender sadness 
 
 When I told her they were dead — 
 
 That their fragrance had departed ; 
 
 That they were no more of earth ; 
 
 That they had died broken hearted 
 
 For the days that gave them birth. 
 
 That the summer time was over. 
 
 And the spring seemed like a dream ; 
 
 That the fields of scented clover 
 
 Were scantless. That the stream 
 
TIIK \T"riT>f\ WKKVTir. 
 
 That ^;lid«'d jmKt hov doorway 
 
 Would in li'tttTK wooii Im! hound, 
 
 And ol" all th»' IbrcNt son^'stcrK 
 
 lint the lv('d-l)n'aKt hird l)«» I'ound. 
 
 Sho Nnnhnii' M:az«Ml upon nio, 
 
 Still vveavinu: in her hair, 
 
 Tho trophios she IukI lifatluTt'd 
 
 Looking- than tlicir (^uocn more lair. 
 
 Know you, saith shf, Slranycr Aitist, 
 
 Strani,^'r I'oct, it' you ))o ; 
 
 Know you that these ])lo.ssonis ladinc 
 
 Aro to me thouu:h far less laden 
 
 Than witli perlunie, in sl>rin^• they were ; 
 
 Aro more dear tlian sprin<;'H lirst blo^fciom 
 
 And I press tliem to my l)osom 
 
 For the tale they told to me. 
 
 As I wandered by yon brooklet, 
 
 Silver sparklinii^ in the dell, 
 
 AVith a youth so nol)le, handsome 
 
 That rthoujj^ht Irom heaven he fell — 
 
 ( )n one stilly day in summer 
 
 When e'en bird and Ix'e and flower ; 
 
 All had caught up the contagion ; 
 
 All enjoyed an idh' hour. 
 
 Mean 1 not the glittering- season 
 
 Grand aiul gorgeous after s])ring. 
 
 But the days of natur«' mourning 
 
 Which the winter heralds in. 
 
 As one day in Indian summer 
 
 We so slowly wandered there, 
 
 1 unto his soft words listening, 
 
 He proclaiming me so fair ; 
 
 SIow^ my hand in his was prisoned 
 
TlIK AUTr.MN WIJKATII. 
 
 Fast, luyiniiid uns .scrpfiil ImhuuI 
 Liko somo sunny southern \va.'l)lor, 
 Jiy <h(* <ilan('(' I on nic louml : 
 l''ull ofPiission, lull of .sadness — 
 Kull ol" JjOVO, less pure than wild ; 
 Full of all— My I<lyl lovor 
 Soon had rohbed the (tipsy child 
 or the charm that luied him to hor, 
 Thai shone ihrouj»h Ikm* childish face: 
 And the virs^in ht-arl lor him heating- 
 Would have ro})lu'd her of its jrrace , 
 But iny j^lance 1 downward bonding, 
 Strivin^^ to resist his p(>vver; 
 Strivir.i,' to escape his i>hinceN, 
 Fell upon a dyint>- llower. 
 Flower, I had in the s])ring time 
 Seen, remoml)ering of its birth. 
 When it bloomed within an Eden : 
 FlowiM-, eden, if there's one on earth 
 Seen in all the regal siplendor 
 Which a llower can own below, 
 For surpassing in its beauty, 
 Any llower which there did grow, 
 And the words of praise fell lor it, 
 Sweet and welcome to its ear. 
 And it L .iove, surpassed its comrades. 
 And was Queen of all the year ; 
 And alone T now beheld it 
 Far from its native soil, me nigh 
 Drooping sad, deserted, faded. 
 Cast aside and left to die ; 
 And it whispered clearly to me 
 As I bent my willing ear 
 To the false vows of my lover, 
 
H THK AUTUMN WREATH. 
 
 Gipsy maiden iiee from here ! 
 Listen not to adiilotion, 
 Bend you not Tore words oi' praise, 
 But thy beauty he doth covet, 
 And hke me in other days, 
 "When thy brightness dim and laded 
 Shall have lost their charm t' his eye, 
 He'll forget the days he praised it — 
 Cast thee like me, aside to die. 
 He doth wish it now to gather, 
 While thy beauty's morn is bright. 
 But like me, when thou hast faded, 
 When doth come thy beauty's night. 
 In some far off land he'll leave thee ; 
 Leave thee there to droop and die ; 
 He'll forget you once could charm him- 
 Break his spell : Fly ! maiden, lly ! 
 
 Slow my eyes I then uplifted 
 Free in heart and mind and will : 
 Slow my hand from out its thraldom 
 Came, though heart was captive still. 
 Calm my words and slow^ were spoken, 
 Part thee hence a year ; and then 
 Come again and 1 will listen 
 To thy cause, come plead it then ! 
 Slow he spoke, and calm and stately, 
 Tried he all the while to seem ; 
 But a curl his lips had w^reathed, 
 And his dark eyes Hashed with pride ; 
 And he swore you never loved me, 
 Or you now would be my bride. 
 Here then, by the heart I cherish. 
 By my hopes of heaven above, 
 
THE AUTUMN WHKATH. 9 
 
 Swear I to lori^et you never, 
 
 Though you doom we now must sever 
 
 To meet again no more lor ever; 
 
 To meet no more, my love. 
 
 And he passed Irom out the valley ; 
 
 And he never said Good-bye ! 
 
 And though heart ol' mine was ]>urstmg, 
 
 Still one quivering suppressed sigh ; 
 
 Still one silent calm God bless you ; 
 
 He had gone, he said for ever, 
 
 And I wished but to die. 
 
 And the ilowers have come and laded. 
 
 And the birds have been and gone ; 
 
 And the stream both chained and chamless, 
 
 And a year begun and done. 
 
 Have been since we two parted, 
 
 And to-day he should be here ; 
 
 And I should be to hsten 
 
 To his words then held so dear. 
 
 But lovers have been plenty 
 
 For me and for him too : 
 
 And I Well, I'm still constant ; 
 
 And He, He's proved u.itrue. 
 
 And to another maiden 
 
 His tales of love he tells. 
 
 And again he's vowing constancy, 
 
 And she like me, she dwells — 
 
 Well, no matter, for those moments 
 
 Where, so sweet could never last, 
 
 And now I feel my freedom 
 
 When I am free at last. 
 
 And to-day, I for that maiden, 
 
 Can oft'er up a prayer ; 
 
10 THE AUTUMN WREATH. 
 
 Can wisli hor joy iind happinesK: 
 
 A life luulinimod l)y care, 
 
 And thank Uu; Lord ol' (jroodness. 
 
 Ak I supplicato his power, 
 
 l''or tho k'isson taught a year ag-o 
 
 liy the beauteous dying iiower. 
 
 My love was but a lovei', 
 My Idol wa.s but clay ; 
 My angel image ll(»w off then ; 
 My love took ilight to-day — 
 I now believe that b.^auty, 
 AVhen wed ibr l)eauty's worth, 
 Shall lose her love as speedily, 
 h]\ni as that love took birth. 
 And I still wait for a lover 
 Wht) shall love me for my heart, 
 And this chaplet now I'm wreathing 
 And entwining in my hair. 
 Till I meet that true born lover, 
 I intend that I shall wear ; 
 That I never may ibrget me 
 AVlien they woo me for my face — 
 The boon I owe the iiower 
 That e'en in its dying hour 
 Taught me the simple lesson 
 That kei)t me from disgrace. 
 
 And every autumn season 
 When the summer days are by, 
 I shall cull each lonely blossom 
 That's been left behind to die ; 
 And retain it while a fragrance 
 On its dead leaves lingering stp.y . 
 As I would some one had kept me 
 Had I then been led astray. 
 
THE AUTUMjV WIlLATir. 11 
 
 Tho maiden sloppt'd hor Wi^aviim 
 
 The wreath. The tale was done ; 
 
 The pme tree shadows lengthened, 
 
 As faded slow the sun ; 
 
 The maiden bowed and trenibl«Hl : 
 
 The Poet took her hand, 
 
 And twined The Autumn Chapiet 
 
 Around it as a bond — 
 
 Then by love's magic lil't^Ml 
 
 Her eyes unto his faee, 
 
 And told her how since then He too 
 
 Had learned to live in grace. 
 
 She clasped him ui her arms, 
 
 Then whispered low aside, 
 
 1 still shall wear the flowers 
 
 For maldng me your Imde. 
 
 And still we're chaplets wreathing 
 But no, not now as then. 
 Hut to show as how a victory 
 By both was needed — Won. 
 
12 
 
 LOST AND GAINED. 
 
 Ho said that he loved me ; 
 
 I ■would not believe him — 
 Too sweet w^as the knowledge — 
 
 Too sweet to be true. 
 I treasured his accents ; 
 
 Yet could not deceive him. 
 His heart was ofl" wandering ; 
 
 I knew 'twas with you. 
 
 He looked in my face, 
 
 And his eye soft and tender. 
 "Was beaming with passion, 
 
 Sweet, pure and divine. 
 I had thirsted for years, 
 
 For that moment to render 
 My heart to his keeping ; 
 Yet would not while thine 
 
 "Was the heart that he loved ; — 
 "Was the heart that he cherished : 
 For I thought had you lost 
 His sweet love, you had perished. 
 
 His arm was around me ; 
 
 His heart 'gainst mine beating : 
 His cheek soft as velvet 
 
 "Was iiressed unto mine. 
 I could not resist : 
 
 From his lips came a greeting ; 
 A greeting of friendship, 
 
 From him I thouaht thine, 
 
THE AUTT^MN WREATH. 1^ 
 
 He looked in my eyes, 
 
 And he told me his sorrow : 
 That once he had 1ov«m1 yon ; 
 
 Thai you were untnic — 
 I told him you'd turn 
 
 'Fore tho diiwn oi' the morrow. 
 He said he'd ne'er tr\ist you ; 
 That now when he knew 
 
 That you scorn'd not to wound him ; 
 That she whom he cherished 
 Could turn to upbraid him : 
 His love lor her ]iorished. 
 
 I plead for thy cause, 
 
 For I thoui?ht naught hut madness 
 Could ever seduce thee 
 
 To break the sweet chain 
 That bound ye toi>-ether ; 
 
 And yet, what a gladness 
 Was mine at his w^ords : 
 
 I'll ne'er love her again. 
 
 T can turn from my anger ; 
 
 Can pity, forgive her ; 
 Can meet her and smile 
 
 As I smiled before ; 
 But she'd kneel and she'd swear, 
 
 Yet I would not believe her, 
 Nor love her as once 
 
 I have loved her of vore. 
 
 And his eye it grr\w.«?l't, 
 
 And his heart-'qiiic-l'? ir.a,s b^a^'ting,; ,' . . ■ ' 
 
 For the tears g;liBt*?jn?(:l. bright.... ; ^ 
 
 On mv warm 'tiiia-^^Vt'teek:; '• \ ' 
 
14 THK AUTUMN WREATH. 
 
 And his iwin was cniwiiiccl 
 
 Konnd niy neck, and a gvt^eting' 
 Ho pressed on my lips 
 
 As he iinished to 8i)eak'. 
 
 And he said that' he loved me, 
 And now I believed him — 
 And ceased to plead lor thee, 
 To think his heart thine, 
 And I felt O so happy, 
 That you had deceived him ; 
 For that love was worth having-; 
 Unce thine, but now mine. 
 
 And he gazed in my lace. 
 
 And his eyes beamed with gladness 
 
 When I told him I loved him 
 Since years long ago : 
 
 And then he ibrgavi^ all ihy lolly and madness 
 And blessed the hour 
 
 When he told you to go.