Poems (Sherwin)/Lay of an isolated one

by Elizabeth Sherwin

LAY OF AN ISOLATED ONE.

With heavy cloud upon my brow,
 In sadest mood I rove;
There's no one left to love me now,
 And nothing left to love.

Dim is the light of youthful hours,
 Kind friends have all departed,
The joys of life have lost their powers,
 And I am broken hearted.

The bird, which from the schoolboy rude,
 I bought, unfledged, to save,
And softest bed, and tenderest food,
 The little nestling gave.

Through chilling winter's darksome days,
 When snow was in the air,
Repaid me with the sweetest lays,
 For all my gentle care.

But when the spring, with sun and showers,
 To brighter days gave birth,
And scattered freely buds and flowers,
 O'er all the teeming earth.

He sought the far off sunny mead,
 No more I heard his lay,
Of me he felt no longer need,
 And thus he flew away.

My fawn I loved, a fairy thing,
 That trotted by my side,
And round, in many a lightsome spring,
 Its agile gambols tried.

When pass'd away but one short year,
 It ceased with me to stray,
'Twas false—like many a petted dear—
 And bounded far away.

My dog, whose life in faith was passed,
 Astray was never led,
His love was faithful to the last,
 But he, alas—is dead.

With heavy cloud upon my brow,
 In deep despair I rove,
There's no one left to love me now,
 And nothing left to love.