Classic Poem

ON MY BIRTHDAY

M Y birth-day eve is gone, mother;
Say, didst thou think of me?
Each moment while I counted o'er,
My thoughts were all on thee.

And oft I wished thee here, mother,
Our social group to join;
For I long to clasp thine hand, mother,
And on thy breast recline.

My birth-day eve is gone, mother;
The future who can know?
Oh! will my buoyant heart, as now,
With gladness still o'erflow?

Or will its trembling strings, mother,
Speak but a mournful tone?
And I, of all I love bereft,
Weep wretched and alone?

My birth-day eve is gone, mother;
Friends gather round me now,
And they are sad whene'er they mark
A shadow on my brow.

They sing my favorite lays, mother,
And many an hour beguile;
For they are dear as life to me —
I live but in their smile.

Yet, one by one, ere long, mother,
Will they all pass away;
And in this world, when they are gone,
I could not, would not stay.

My birth-day eve is gone, mother;
Yes, thou didst think of me:
And I will gently sink to sleep,
And dream of home and thee.