LINES ON LEAVING HOME WHEN BLACKLISTED

The dark shades of night on the mountain are falling;
   The clouds over head are all tinted with gold;
The shepherd his sheep from the hillside is calling
   And gathers them tenderly into the fold.
The air with the whipporwill's song is vibrating;
   The low of the cattle sweeps over the plain;
All glad, though my bosom with pain is dilating,
    For soon I must part from my Agnes again.

Agnes, whose smile fills my bosom with pleasure,
    Whose slightest caress is a fountain of joy.
Agnes, my darling, my heart's sweetest treasure,
    So tender and loving, so gentle and coy.
Oh! Cruel misfortunes have gathered around us,
    All our fond hopes have been severed in twain.
Broken, the fond expectations that bound us,
    For soon I must part from my Agnes again.

Happy the moments, unheeded their fleeting,
    When clasping my darling's sweet form in my arms,
Kissing her lips and a story repeating
   That added a bright blushing grace to her charms.
Softly I sigh in the depth of my sorrow,
    Since all those pleasures have turned into pain,
Soon will appear the gray dawn of the morrow
    And then I must part from my Agnes again.

• Back to MEMORIES page

The Wilson index:

• William Bauchop Wilson Main Page
• Coming to America
• Growing up in Arnot, Pennsylvania
• The Next 20 Years
• Secretary-Treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America
• Congress
• The Family
• Ferniegair Farm Blossburg, Pennsylvania
• Bibliography