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Poem
March 11, 1799
The Gazette
Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
What is this article about?
A song where a woman explains her apparent coldness stems from profound losses: her lover killed in battle for his country, and her parents who died grieving him, leaving her to smile through tears.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
POETRY.
SONG.
A SMILE and a TEAR.
You own I'm complacent, but tell me I'm cold;
Then must I my youth's early sorrows unfold;
Must waken remembrance to joys that are fled,
Now hope is extinguish'd and passion is dead?
I have lost in life's morn all that life could endear.
And, if I seem cheerful, I smile thro' a tear.
My parents, tho' humble, were happy and good,
We could boast of our honor, if not of our blood.
My lover—ah! how the sad tale shall I tell?
For his country he fought, for his country he fell;
He was brave, he was true, to my soul he was dear;
His fame claims a smile, but it shines thro' a tear.
In vain would I picture my agoniz'd heart;
My parents' soft soothings no balm could impart;
They sunk o'er the head whom they could not relieve,
And the cold hand of death left me only to grieve.
Thus fated to suffer the moment draws near,
When you'll neither distinguish a smile nor a tear.
SONG.
A SMILE and a TEAR.
You own I'm complacent, but tell me I'm cold;
Then must I my youth's early sorrows unfold;
Must waken remembrance to joys that are fled,
Now hope is extinguish'd and passion is dead?
I have lost in life's morn all that life could endear.
And, if I seem cheerful, I smile thro' a tear.
My parents, tho' humble, were happy and good,
We could boast of our honor, if not of our blood.
My lover—ah! how the sad tale shall I tell?
For his country he fought, for his country he fell;
He was brave, he was true, to my soul he was dear;
His fame claims a smile, but it shines thro' a tear.
In vain would I picture my agoniz'd heart;
My parents' soft soothings no balm could impart;
They sunk o'er the head whom they could not relieve,
And the cold hand of death left me only to grieve.
Thus fated to suffer the moment draws near,
When you'll neither distinguish a smile nor a tear.
What sub-type of article is it?
Song
Elegy
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
War Military
Love Courtship
What keywords are associated?
Smile Through Tear
Lost Lover
War Death
Grieving Parents
Mourning Song
Poem Details
Title
A Smile And A Tear.
Key Lines
I Have Lost In Life's Morn All That Life Could Endear.
And, If I Seem Cheerful, I Smile Thro' A Tear.
For His Country He Fought, For His Country He Fell;
His Fame Claims A Smile, But It Shines Thro' A Tear.
When You'll Neither Distinguish A Smile Nor A Tear.