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ELEGIAC.
in memory of mrs. s. w. c * * * e.
Why should we mourn thee?
See, the captive bird
Hath burst its prison bar, and wanders free
Through the clear ether, till no more is heard
Its minstrelsy.
Should we deplore its flight,
As up the blue expanse with quivering wings
Exultingly it springs,
Spreading its pinions toward the throne of light,
And leaving far behind, the land of chains and night?
