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Poem
June 5, 1840
Southern Christian Advocate
Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
A cautionary poem from the Maryland Temperance Herald warning against the dangers of alcohol temptation. It narrates how a man's single lapse into drinking leads to the loss of reason, hope, and peace, ultimately resulting in a drunkard's fate.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
TEMPERANCE.
From the Maryland Temperance Herald.
"ONLY THIS ONCE."
"Only this once;"-the wine cup glowed,
All sparkling with its ruby ray;
The bacchanalian welcome flowed,
And folly made the revel gay.
Then he, so long, so deeply warned,
The sway of conscience rashly spurned
His promise of repentance scorned,
And, coward like, to vice returned.
"Only this once;"-the tale is told
He wildly quaffed the poisonous tide;
With more than Esau's madness, sold
The birth-right of his soul, and died.
I do not say that breath forsook
The clay, and left its pulses dead;
But reason in her empire shook,
And all the life of life was fled.
Again his eyes the landscape viewed,
His limbs again their burden bore;
And years their wonted course renewed,
But hope and peace returned no more.
Yes, angel hearts with pity wept,
When he whom virtue fain would save,
His vow to her so falsely kept,
And madly sought a drunkard's grave
"Only this once;"—beware, beware!
Gaze not upon the blushing wine;
O, fly temptation's siren snare,
And, prayerful, seek for strength divine.
From the Maryland Temperance Herald.
"ONLY THIS ONCE."
"Only this once;"-the wine cup glowed,
All sparkling with its ruby ray;
The bacchanalian welcome flowed,
And folly made the revel gay.
Then he, so long, so deeply warned,
The sway of conscience rashly spurned
His promise of repentance scorned,
And, coward like, to vice returned.
"Only this once;"-the tale is told
He wildly quaffed the poisonous tide;
With more than Esau's madness, sold
The birth-right of his soul, and died.
I do not say that breath forsook
The clay, and left its pulses dead;
But reason in her empire shook,
And all the life of life was fled.
Again his eyes the landscape viewed,
His limbs again their burden bore;
And years their wonted course renewed,
But hope and peace returned no more.
Yes, angel hearts with pity wept,
When he whom virtue fain would save,
His vow to her so falsely kept,
And madly sought a drunkard's grave
"Only this once;"—beware, beware!
Gaze not upon the blushing wine;
O, fly temptation's siren snare,
And, prayerful, seek for strength divine.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Temperance Moderation
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Temperance
Alcohol Temptation
Drunkard Warning
Moral Fall
Vice Return
Conscience Spurned
What entities or persons were involved?
From The Maryland Temperance Herald.
Poem Details
Title
"Only This Once."
Author
From The Maryland Temperance Herald.
Subject
Warning Against Alcohol Temptation
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
"Only This Once;" The Wine Cup Glowed,
"Only This Once;" The Tale Is Told
"Only This Once;"—Beware, Beware!
Gaze Not Upon The Blushing Wine;