Oh, do not stain with guiltless blood
Thy hospitable hearth,
Nor triumph that thy wiles betray'd
A prize so little worth.
The scatter'd gleanings of a feast
My little meals supply;
But if thine unrelenting heart
That slender boon deny,
The cheerful light, the vital air,
Are blessings widely giv'n;
Let Nature's children all enjoy
The common gifts of Heav'n.
The tender sympathising heart
To all compassion gives,
Casts round the world its glance of love,
And feels for all that lives.
Then hear a trembling pris'ner's prayer,
For liberty that sighs;
And never let thine heart be shut
Against the suff'rer's cries.
22. A-Hunting we will go.
The dusky night rides down the sky,
And ushers in the morn;
The hounds all join in glorious cry,
The huntsman winds his horn.
Chorus—Then a hunting we will go, &c.
Sly Reynard, he like lightning flies,
His cunning's wide awake;
To gain the race he eager tries,
His forfeit life the stake.
When a hunting we do go, &c.
