Classic Poem

And must the loveliest youth depart,
That ever gain'd a womans heart,
And leave Emelia here to mourn,
And languish till he safe return,
Till then, no joy this heart shall know,
And these poor eyes inured to flow,
Shall ne'er admit one chearful ray,
Till they behold that happy day —
When heaven indulgent to my prayer,
Restores the man I hold most dear,
For ah! already I can prove,
Absence is death to those that love.
But when the british shore detains,
My Lucius from his native plains,
Oh think what your Emelia feels,
What pangs her tender Bosom swells,
How she must stem the tide alone,
Without protectors when you're gone,
Soften the rigour of my fate,
By thinking on my lonely state,
And let thy heart propiteous prove,
To my soft vow and faithful love.