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virginia.

VIRGINIA.
I saw her first—a petted child,
Her eyes were blue as heaven;
Her cheek was dimpled when she smiled,
Her lips a rose-bud riven.

Her form, the prettiest in the world,
Her step—a fairy's flight,
Her hair, like clouded sunshine, curl'd
In clusters wild and bright.

"A child," I said,—so artless, wild,
And full of mirth her mien;
You'd deem her but a lovely child,
Though she was just fifteen.

I met her on her way to school,
The snow fell swift and still;
The morn was clear and bright, but cool,
And I had felt the chill.