Death of Charles Follen

O, not for thee weep;--we weep
For her, whose lone and long caress,
And widow's tears, from fountains deep,
Fall on the early fatherless.


'T is for ourselves we mourn;--we mourn
Our blighted hopes, our wishes crossed,
Thy strength, that hath our burdens borne,
Thy love, thy smile, thy counsels lost.


'T is for the slave we sigh:--we sigh
To think thou sleepest on a shore
Where thy calm voice and beaming eye
Shall plead the bondman's cause no more.


'T is for our land we grieve:--we grieve
That Freedom's fane, Devotion's shrine,
And Faith's fresh altar, thou should'st leave,
And they all lose a soul like thine.


A soul like thine--so true a soul,
Wife, friends, our land, the world must miss:
The waters o'er thy corse may roll,
But thy pure spirit is in bliss.