Ainsworth's heir, and other poems

Contents

MISCELLANEOUS—

NO JEWELS EOR ME 135

WHERE IS THE SUMMER GONE? 137

Preface

A few words of explanation are clue to the many kind friends who but two years ago encouraged the publication of " Lonely Hours," and who may suppose that the author has not exercised sufficient reflection in so soon soliciting public attention to another poetical work.

She does not build her hope of success for this volume altogether on the favourable reception her last met with, but trusts that a somewhat more mature experience, improved judgment, and corrected fancy, have enabled her to produce thoughts in the present volume which may commend themselves to at least some of the lovers of poetical fiction whose approbation she is most ambitious to obtain ; and secure for ber on tbis occasion, as on the last, some of tbe large-hearted favour which so amply repaid all the anxieties and apprehensions attendant on literary ventures. She will in any case deem her labours amply rewarded if they are instrumental in directing the thoughts of any reader to a contemplation and practice of what is good, or beautiful, or true ; or in soothing any mind which may have been unfavourably affected by the perturbing cares of the world.

TO THE GREAT ENGLISH NOVELIST, DRAMATIST, ESSAYIST AND POET,

THE FOLLOWING POEMS

ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

BY HIS ADMIRER,

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

A Glimpse of Home

A Mother's Prayer

A Pilgrim's Prayer

A Valentine

A Wish (Oh may thy life, &c.) .

Adare ....

A Christmas Carol for little children

A Wish (May love's fair flower, &c.)

A Dream

After a Ball

A Letter from a friend

A Wish (May bright success, &c.)

A Valentine (There is a heart, &c.)

A Wish (May hope and joy, &c.)

A Treasured Gift

Alone ....

A Friend's Remonstrance .

70 99 113

A Valentine (Oh ! say not, sweet lady) . At*least my friend, forget me not A Wish (If Heaven would hear a lover's prayer) Anabelle , ....

B.

Bring me to Effy's Grave Beauty and Goodness

108 213

Charity Children .

Cold Words Childhood's Griefs Call me not fair

Dead

Did I not miss thee

Erin's Daughter

Farewell to thee, dearest Farewell to thee, Ireland Farewell .

Faithful still to thee

CONTENTS.

XI

PAGE

Footsteps .

uo

Farewell to Killarney

Friendship's Offering

Farewell, dear boy

Friendship's -wreath and chain

Faith .....

Good Bye

Hawthorn

Home ....

Hawthorn

Hopeless Love

He is but gone before

Had we not met .

Haste, bright day

He's gone

Hints

Have we not known each c ther long

" Ireland as it was," and " Ireland as it is"

Impromptu lines on a Storm

I'll not profess

I knew I should not love thee

I spoke unkindly ....

Inconstancy ....

I'll love my own love still Invitations to a Ball I think of thee, my brother I think of thee

Life's Pathway

Little children

Lines on hearing a lady called a coquette

Lines written in the Glasgow Necropolis

Lines written on the death of a friend

Lines on a lovely girl

Lines on a beautiful infant

Love's sincerity

$6 102 122 221 225 257

Moonlight Fancies

My Island Home .

My heart is thine .

Music

My Mother's Prayer

Muckross Abbey .

My soul's worst agony

Memory's casket .

Many sought to win my love

My last farewell My Home

Our one wee girl .

Oh ! -where is the old home

On receiving three primroses

Poor withered Rose

Ross Island Remembered still Return to me

162 228 243

Summer ......

Sweet Eily my star ....

Sable Robes .....

Stanzas (A flower cannot live, &c.) ,

Sad Reflections .....

Stanzas (Thou wert the star)

Spring ....,,

189 191

Slander .....

Song

Stanzas (I ne'er have seen thee, lovely spot)

Stanzas (Long may thy heart, &c.)

Stanzas (Again, false pride, &c.) .

Sixth anniversary of our wedding day

Song (Oh ! hush, let me list)

Stanzas (I sadly marked her lovely cheek)

The Sailor's Wife

The Old year and the New

The Tiny Grave .

There's sunshine 'neath the cloud .

The Forest Wild .

The Sunlight of my soul

The influence of love

The saddest thing

The well of Sychar

To an Examiner .

The Cottage Home

They say she's heartless

That silent hour

To a Fop .

To (Art thou not changed)

To an absent one .

The first grey hair

The lock of hair

Three days in Killarney .

The Gap of Dunloe

CONTENTS.

XV

PAGE

The Black Valley . . . . .166

The old 'Weir Bridge

The Tone of Friendship .

The Song of the past

Think not of the past

Ten years gone by

To a friend on her sister's marriage

Thou'rt loved and lovely still

To (Oh ! would that I could chase away)

To a stricken one

The missing footstep

Thou art not here

To Emma

To (Have patience yet) .

The lonely one

To (I ne'er have seen thee, &c.)

To (We met but once, &c.)

The past . . .

The shade of sadness

To a friend

Thou'rt mine

The loved and lost

To Fanny

The American Mother

Vice and Virtue's Vice

Virtue

Violets

AINSWOETH'S HEIR.

i.

Spieit of song ! whose faery touch can turn

Our dead affections into deathless loves,

Visit my day-dreams, and impart the power,

To vitalize these simple flowers of mine,

Which I would rescue from the scythe of time —

The amaranths that grace the muses' bower

Are fairer far, yet even these may live,

Which breathe of Eden, though bedewed with tears,

Like memory's offering on the grave of love —

Breathe on them, thou, and they shall never die ; And those who look on them may think of me ; As one, who poring o'er some favorite hook, The love gift of a friend long dead and gone, Finds a sweet flower, still living in the leaves, And gives a thought to her who placed it there.