Poetess Tradition

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The Widowed Mother               TEI-encoded version


"The Widowed Mother"

Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington

[In The Keepsake for 1835, ed. F. M. Reynolds (London, UK: Longman, etc., 1834), p. 275: ]

     Here, in the temple, where with him I've knelt,
     Whose love made earth appear a heaven to me;
     Here, where I lifted up my soul to God,
     That He had deign'd to make my lot so bless'd;
5     Here do I come, to offer up my grief
     Upon that altar where my gratitude
     Was often pour'd. My heart, though sorely bruised,
     Bows down resign'd. Bear with me, oh! my God;
     If in the bitterness of mortal wo,
10     I've dared to murmur at thy high decree:
     Look on my babes, who now no father have,
     Save Thee. Oh! shield their helpless infancy
     From sin and danger, till thou calls't them hence;
     And give me strength to train them to thy will --
15     Submissive still, whate'er may be their lot.
     Chase from my memory the blessed past,
     When he, the cherish'd partner of my life,
     Supported, loved, and guided me on earth,
     Lest the remembrance tempt my soul to murmur
20     At my changed fate, and I in agony
     Forget it was Thy will that he should die,
     And I remain a sorrower behind.
     Support me with the hope, the blessed hope
     That in Thy kingdom we shall meet again;
25     Where no more partings are -- where tears are dried,
     And nought of earth remains -- save its pure love.


Date: 1834 (Coding Revisions: 12/30/2005). Author: Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington (Coding Revisions: Laura Mandell).
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