REMEMBER THEE.

Remember thee? yes, while there's life in this heart,

It shall never forget thee, all lorn as thou art;

More dear in thy sorrow, thy gloom, and thy showers,

Than the rest of the world in their sunniest hours.

Wert thou all that I wish thee, great, glorious, and free,

First flower of the earth, and first gem of the sea,

I might hail thee with prouder, with happier brow,

But oh! could I love thee more deeply than now?

No, thy chains as they rankle, thy blood as it runs,

But make thee more painfully dear to thy sons —

Whose hearts, like the young of the desert-bird's nest,

Drink love in each life-drop that flows from thy breast.