THE
RECALL
TO
AFFECTION
.
Oh
!
stay
Affection
;
pray
thee
stay
!
What
have
I
said
—
or
meant
to
say
?
'Twas
love
,
e'en
love
the
trespass
caus'd
That
warmth
of
speech
,
which
scarce
was
clos'd
Ere
the
hard
sentence
tore
my
frame
,
And
dy'd
my
cheek
with
honest
shame
.
Regret
came
shivering
through
my
veins
,
And
bound
my
tongue
in
iron
chains
;
My
soul
in
prison
seem'd
to
be
,
And
ever
must
if
torn
from
thee
;
One
look
of
thine
,
when
sweetly
kind
,
Can
overturn
a
world
of
mind
!
The
stern
resolves
that
pride
has
made
,
At
thy
soft
touch
in
vapour
fade
;
Thy
smile
,
that
rules
the
inmost
soul
,
Can
every
harsh
resolve
control
.
Return
,
my
lov'd
companion
dear
,
The
solace
of
each
former
year
!
Else
life
,
through
many
a
sickening
day
,
Must
slowly
,
slowly
creep
away
;
E'en
when
thou
bound'st
this
aching
brow
,
And
sweetly
cheer'd
,
I
know
not
how
,
Yet
the
dull
hour
,
with
weary
knell
,
Seem'd
to
toll
on
the
passing
bell
.
If
not
for
thee
,
this
throbbing
breast
Had
ne'er
enjoy'd
the
balm
of
rest
;
Rest
!
—
did
I
say
?
no
bliss
had
known
,
The
blush
of
Nature
by
had
flown
,
Or
o'er
the
senses
vainly
stray'd
,
Hadst
thou
not
wander'd
in
the
shade
;
Hadst
thou
not
seen
the
clouds
of
morn
,
On
purple
pinions
lightly
borne
,
Uprear
the
canopy
of
day
,
And
e'er
his
chariot
float
away
;
Hadst
thou
not
mark'd
the
evening
shade
,
In
all
her
changeful
colours
fade
;
—
The
golden
glow
,
the
sapphire
hue
,
The
rosy
red
,
the
melting
blue
,
The
soft
sea-green
with
yellow
tinge
,
The
curling
clouds
with
skirts
of
fringe
;
—
This
eye
had
ne'er
beheld
one
charm
,
Or
felt
the
glow
of
nature
warm
;
Nor
had
she
seen
one
dropping
shower
Bring
back
to
life
the
fainting
flower
;
Or
the
tall
woods
their
arches
spread
In
Gothic
cloister
over
head
;
While
the
pale
moon
,
with
lamp-like
beam
,
In
tremors
lent
her
silvery
stream
;
"
Yon
drops
of
flame
that
stud
the
sky
"
Had
seem'd
plain
stars
to
my
poor
eye
,
Until
these
orbs
,
with
glory
bound
,
By
thee
were
call'd
fair
worlds
around
!
No
;
source
of
pleasure
!
'twas
thy
soul
That
brought
me
to
conceive
the
whole
.
The
wish
to
please
new
thoughts
inspir'd
,
And
I
grew
learn'd
where
thou
admir'd
;
To
be
companion
meet
I
strove
,
With
all
the
self-taught
lore
of
love
,
Lov'd
Nature
as
she
ought
to
be
;
For
loving
her
,
was
loving
thee
!
But
should'st
thou
leave
this
vacant
heart
,
And
should
we
,
should
we
ever
part
,
E'en
Nature's
self
would
grow
less
dear
,
And
I
still
shed
the
fretful
tear
.