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Poem
May 18, 1835
Lynchburg Virginian
Lynchburg, Virginia
What is this article about?
A reflective poem tracing a woman's life from infancy through girlhood, motherhood, widowhood, to death, observed by the speaker in recurring encounters, emphasizing the inevitability of parting and eternal life.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
THE HISTORY OF LIFE.
I saw an infant in its mother's arms,
And left it sleeping:
Years passed—I saw a girl with woman's charms,
In sorrow weeping.
Years passed—I saw a mother with her child,
And o'er it languish:
Years brought me back—yet through her tears she smiled,
In deeper anguish.
I left her—years had vanished—I returned,
And stood before her;
A lamp beside the childless widow burned—
Grief's mantle o'er her.
In tears I found her whom I left in tears,
On God relying:
And I returned again in after years,
And found her dying.
An infant first, and then a maiden fair—
A wife—a mother—
And then a childless widow in despair—
Thus met a brother.
And thus we meet on earth, and thus we part,
To meet oh never!
Till death beholds the spirit leave the heart,
To live forever.
H. S. G.
I saw an infant in its mother's arms,
And left it sleeping:
Years passed—I saw a girl with woman's charms,
In sorrow weeping.
Years passed—I saw a mother with her child,
And o'er it languish:
Years brought me back—yet through her tears she smiled,
In deeper anguish.
I left her—years had vanished—I returned,
And stood before her;
A lamp beside the childless widow burned—
Grief's mantle o'er her.
In tears I found her whom I left in tears,
On God relying:
And I returned again in after years,
And found her dying.
An infant first, and then a maiden fair—
A wife—a mother—
And then a childless widow in despair—
Thus met a brother.
And thus we meet on earth, and thus we part,
To meet oh never!
Till death beholds the spirit leave the heart,
To live forever.
H. S. G.
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Life Stages
Infant Mother
Widow Grief
Death Eternity
What entities or persons were involved?
H. S. G.
Poem Details
Title
The History Of Life.
Author
H. S. G.
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
An Infant First, And Then A Maiden Fair—
A Wife—A Mother—
And Then A Childless Widow In Despair—
Thus Met A Brother.
And Thus We Meet On Earth, And Thus We Part,