Araluen
Take this rose, and
very gently place it on the tender, deep
Mosses where our little
darling, Araluen, lies asleep.
Put the blossom close
to baby -- kneel with me, my love, and pray;
We must leave the
bird we've buried -- say good-bye to her to-day.
In the shadow of our
trouble we must go to other lands,
And the flowers we
have fostered will be left to other hands:
Other eyes will watch
them growing -- other feet will softly tread
Where two hearts are
nearly breaking, where so many tears are shed.
Bitter is the world
we live in: life and love are mixed with pain;
We will never see
these daisies -- never water them again.
Ah! the saddest thought
in leaving baby in this bush alone
Is that we have not
been able on her grave to place a stone:
We have been too poor
to do it; but, my darling, never mind --
God is in the gracious
heavens, and His sun and rain are kind:
They will dress the
spot with beauty, they will make the grasses grow:
Many winds will lull
our birdie, many songs will come and go.
Here the blue-eyed
Spring will linger, here the shining month will stay,
Like a friend, by
Araluen, when we two are far away;
But beyond the wild,
wide waters, we will tread another shore --
We will never watch
this blossom, never see it any more.
Girl, whose hand at
God's high altar in the dear, dead year I pressed,
Lean your stricken
head upon me -- this is still your lover's breast!
She who sleeps was
first and sweetest -- none we have to take her place;
Empty is the little
cradle -- absent is the little face.
Other children may
be given; but this rose beyond recall,
But this garland of
your girlhood, will be dearest of them all.
None will ever, Araluen,
nestle where you used to be,
In my heart of hearts,
you darling, when the world was new to me;
We were young when
you were with us, life and love were happy things
To your father and
your mother ere the angels gave you wings.
You that sit and sob
beside me -- you, upon whose golden head
Many rains of many
sorrows have from day to day been shed;
Who because your love
was noble, faced with me the lot austere
Ever pressing with
its hardship on the man of letters here --
Let me feel that you
are near me, lay your hand within mine own;
You are all I have
to live for, now that we are left alone.
Three there were,
but one has vanished. Sins of mine have made you weep;
But forgive your baby's
father now that baby is asleep.
Let us go, for night
is falling; leave the darling with her flowers;
Other hands will come
and tend them -- other friends in other hours.
by Henry Kendall
Austalian poet 1839~1882
"Henry Kendall had
two poems titled "Araluen", one being about the district around
Braidwood in New South
Wales Australia....and this one being about his daughter
who died in infancy.
I am always moved by this poem, the depth of heartfelt love
with a tinge of guilt
that a parent feels when one of their children has died. The
beauty that was with
her, and the emptiness that now remains without her. It is a
beautiful poem ~ one
of my favourites."
