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Poem
October 9, 1830
Republican Herald
Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
A son invokes the spirit of his deceased mother for comfort and forgiveness, reflecting on his sinful, wayward life, lost youth, separation from family, and seeking peace through repentance.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
SHADE OF MY MOTHER.
Oh! Mother, Mother!
[Coriolanus.]
Shade of my mother bow down;
From the womb of the morning come forth,
On the cloud lay thy white robe and crown,
And move round the scenes of the earth:
Let the child of repentance be under thy care;
For daylight and darkness have long known his prayer.
Mother, dear mother, draw near--
Though the blooming of the boy has decayed;
Though his cheek shines with naught but a tear;
And gray hair will soon be displayed:
For thy child has known sin since you rose to the skies,
And his drink has been grief, and his food has been sighs.
Peri of paradise come;
Bear his cup of repentance above--
He is far from his friends and his home-
His wife with her beautiful love.
Yet she thinks upon him with her child on her knee,
In the land of her fathers far over the sea.
My spring of life is gone by;
I have shaded my summer in storm
And Autumn, without its rich sky,
Is shrinking my heart and my form;
And I think of the days when my mother was nigh;
And I ask why the good and the kind-hearted die?
I was wayward-I was wild
When the bud of my life left its leaf;
Though my temper was wayward and wild,
And often the cause of my grief:
Yet I loved thee, dear mother, and hallow thee now
While the finger of God is a star on thy brow.
Angel, refuse not thine aid!
Bend the rainbow of hope o'er my head,
Now the day is in sunbeams arrayed--
When starlight is over my bed,
Let whispers of Comfort my sighing control,
And the white dove of Peace shake her wings o'er my soul.
Oh! Mother, Mother!
[Coriolanus.]
Shade of my mother bow down;
From the womb of the morning come forth,
On the cloud lay thy white robe and crown,
And move round the scenes of the earth:
Let the child of repentance be under thy care;
For daylight and darkness have long known his prayer.
Mother, dear mother, draw near--
Though the blooming of the boy has decayed;
Though his cheek shines with naught but a tear;
And gray hair will soon be displayed:
For thy child has known sin since you rose to the skies,
And his drink has been grief, and his food has been sighs.
Peri of paradise come;
Bear his cup of repentance above--
He is far from his friends and his home-
His wife with her beautiful love.
Yet she thinks upon him with her child on her knee,
In the land of her fathers far over the sea.
My spring of life is gone by;
I have shaded my summer in storm
And Autumn, without its rich sky,
Is shrinking my heart and my form;
And I think of the days when my mother was nigh;
And I ask why the good and the kind-hearted die?
I was wayward-I was wild
When the bud of my life left its leaf;
Though my temper was wayward and wild,
And often the cause of my grief:
Yet I loved thee, dear mother, and hallow thee now
While the finger of God is a star on thy brow.
Angel, refuse not thine aid!
Bend the rainbow of hope o'er my head,
Now the day is in sunbeams arrayed--
When starlight is over my bed,
Let whispers of Comfort my sighing control,
And the white dove of Peace shake her wings o'er my soul.
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
Moral Virtue
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Mother Shade
Repentance
Grief
Wayward Son
Paradise Peri
Peace Dove
Poem Details
Title
Shade Of My Mother.
Subject
Invocation To The Deceased Mother For Repentance And Comfort
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas
Key Lines
Shade Of My Mother Bow Down;
For Thy Child Has Known Sin Since You Rose To The Skies,
And I Ask Why The Good And The Kind Hearted Die?
Yet I Loved Thee, Dear Mother, And Hallow Thee Now
And The White Dove Of Peace Shake Her Wings O'er My Soul.