Thespia VII: Yes, far my Gentle Maid, from thee

Yes, far my Gentle Maid, from thee,
And every haunt of Joy I stray,
Shall not thy wishes go with me,
To cheer my faint and lonely way?

Shall not within thy faithful breast
Remembrance it's sweet blossoms bear?
Shall not it's plant by thee carest,
Take root, and bloom unfaded there?

Wilt Thou not often steal unseen,
Through dewy field, and trackless plain?
Or utter to the copses green
Thy soft and melancholy strain?

Tho' Fate hath torn the bond of Love,
Wilt Thou not often cast thine eye
To where expell'd and sad I rove,
And breathe a tender pitying sigh?

Be witness conscious Heaven! my soul
Shall ne'er a thought of thee resign,
No power it's fervour can controul,
Unchanged, and stamp'd for ever shine.

Yet tho' by mutual Faith assured,
What racking torment thus to part!
What bleeding woe must be endured!
What anguish must distract the heart!