To Mary at Parting

Alas, alas ! the time draws nigh,
When low that beauteous form shall lie !
That eye, that beams with love and duty,
Must quickly lose its beaming beauty !
That heart, that beats so brisk and gaily,
Must turn a clod in yonder valley !
No more the sun shall dawn on thee,
But long thy starless night shall be ;
Chill, chill, and damp thy lonely room !
And hemlock o'er thy bosom bloom ;
O then be wise — the time draws nigh
When low that beauteous form shall lie !

But oh, within that lovely frame,
There dwells a spark of heavenly flame —
A spark that shall for ever burn ,
Smile over nature's closing urn,
And mix its beams in cloudless day,
When sun and stars have passed away ! —
To nurse that spark — that ray divine,
The task, the pleasing task be thine ;
Then thy delights shall never die,
Though low that beauteous form shall lie.