"Ode to Health;
Date: 1896-1903
Series: N2009-5 - Civil War veterans medical journal, 1896-1903.
Civil War Veterans Medical Journal.
(Page 1 of 24)
Transcript
[page 1]
Ode To Health
"Thou source of joy, Hygea, come,
And soothe the anguish of my breast;
Pleasure has fled, and Hope is dumb
Since thou hast ceased to be my guest;
Tasteless is all the sweets of home,
Joyless is life where I roam.
The Spring returns, and herb and tree
Put on a robe of emerald hue;
The Spring returns, but not to me
Come back the joys that I knew,
For those hast left me, cruel maid,
To pine in sorrow's sombre shade!
Around me sport the feathered throng,
Their glad notes echo through the air,
But ah! Delightless is their song,
It only deepens my despair!
I'll close my ears, I'll shut my sight,
Since nature yields me no delight!