Poems of Felicia Hemans in The Winter's Wreath, 1831/A Farewell to Abbotsford
A Farewell to Abbotsford.
BY MRS. HEMANS.
The love
Of mighty minds doth hallow, in the care
Of human hearts, the ruin of a wall
Where dwelt the wise and wondrous; but by thee
How much more, "Home of Beauty!" do we feel
The wild glow of that not ungentle real,
Which of the heirs of immortality
Is proud!.....Byron.
Home of the gifted! fare thee well,
And a blessing on thee rest;
While the heather waves its purple bell
O'er moss and mountain crest;
While stream to stream around thee calls,
And banks with broom are drest,
Glad be the harping in thy halls—
A blessing on thee rest!
While the high voice, from thee sent forth,
Bids rock and cairn reply,
Wakening the spirits of the North,
Like a chieftain's gathering cry;
While its deep master-tones hold sway,
As a king's, o'er every breast,
Home of the Legend and the Lay!
A blessing on thee rest.
Joy to thy hearth, and board, and bower!
Long honours to thy line!
And hearts of proof, and hands of power,
And bright names worthy thine!
By the merry step of childhood still
May thy free sward be prest!
—While one proud pulse in the land can thrill,
A blessing on thee rest!