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GRIEF. 57
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
An Ancient Enemy Have I, And Either He O...
Bending o ' er me all the while , With his cruel bitter smile ,
Ever with me , ever nigh;—And either he or I must die !
Then I said , long time ago , " I will flee to other climes ,
I will leave mine ancient foe ! " Though I wandered far and wide , —
Still he followed at my side . And I fled where the blue waters
Bathe the sunny isles of Greece ; Where Thessalian mountains rise
Up against the purple skies ; Where a haunting memory liveth
In each wood and cave and rill ; But no dream of gods could help
me—He went with me still ! I have been where Nile ' s broad river
Runs upon the burning sand ; Where the desert monster broodeth ,
Where the Eastern palm-trees stand ; I have been where pathless forests
Spread a black eternal shade ; Where the lurking panther hiding
Glares from every tangled glade ; But in vain I wandered wide !
He was always by my side ! Then I fled where snows eternal
Cold and dreary ever lie ; Where the rosy lightnings gleam ,
Flashing through the northern sky ; Where the red sun turns again
Back upon his path'of pain ;—But a shadowy form was with
me—I had fled in vain !
I have thought , " If I can gaze Sternly on him he will fade ,
For I know that he is nothing But a dim ideal shade . "
As I gazed at him the more , He grew stronger than before !
Then I said , " Mine arm is strong , I will make him turn and flee : "
I have struggled with him long—But that could never be !
Once I battled with him so That I thought I laid him low ;
Then in trembling joy I fled , While again and still again
Murmuring to myself I said , " Mine old enemy is dead ! "
And I stood beneath the stars , When a chill came on my frame ,
And a fear I could not name , And a sense of quick despair ,
And , lo !—mine enemy was there ! Listen , for my soul is weary ,
Weary of its endless woe ; I have called on one to aid me Mightier even than my foe .
Strength and hope fail day by day ; I shall cheat him of his prey ;
Some day soon , I know not when , He will stab me through and through ; He has wounded me before ,
But my heart can bear no more ; Pray that hour may come to me :
Only then shall I be free ; Death alone has strength to take me Where my foe can never be ;
Death , and Death alone , has x _^ ower
To conquer mine old enemy !
Grief. 57
GRIEF . 57
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Citation
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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), March 1, 1858, page 57, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01031858/page/57/
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