William Baxter Solitude (1845)

 

T H E   L A D I E S '   R E P O S I T O R Y .
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CINCINNATI, JULY, 1845.

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O r i g i n a l .
S O L I T U D E .
BY WILLIAM BAXTER.
O, I love not the city's crowded street,
Or the paths which are worn by frequent feet;
Nor the stately hall, and the bustling din
Which echoes so often its walls within;
Nor the pomp and pride of the multitude;
But I love the repose of solitude,
Where, far away from the toil and the strife,
Which belong to a busy city life,
I may find some rest for my wearied heart.
Till I shall from earth and its cares depart,
To some lone, sweet spot, I would gladly fly,
Where the fresh green earth, and the clear blue sky,
May meet my sight-where the whispering breeze,
As it waves the tops of the lofty trees,
When the shadows fall, and the light is dim,
May salute my ear with its parting hymn,
To waken again, like some magic spell,
The sweet strains which in youth I lov'd so well.
There its visions so wild my heart shall weave
In the fading light of the summer's eve.
I'll forget my griefs, and no more repine,
For scenes where the proud and the gay may shine;
For when far removed from the haunts of men,
And of busy life, I am happiest then.
I love not the gay and the giddy throng,
Who haste the bright hours with dance and with song;
For the forest's shade, and the minstrelsy
Of the evening wind, is more dear to me;
And the torrent's rush, and the wind's wild moan,
Fall on my ear with a far sweeter tone,
Than the voice of song in the mirthful halls,
Where the syren-like tongue of pleasure calls;
Or where beauty glides in the mazy dance,
And the eye enchains, with its kindling glance.
I would shun all these for my mossy seat,
Where the wavelets are sparkling at my feet;
For that murmuring stream has a sweeter note
For me than the gladsome songs that float
In the halls where mirth holds her revels high,
And where joy is sought so devotedly.
O, I love the depths of the forest wild,
When spring on each bough has in beauty smil'd;
For its dim-lit aisles seem a place for prayer;
And oft at calm eve I would linger there,
To kneel on the pure and the stainless sod,
And yield up my heart's deep prayer to God.
And O, when I am dead, I would gladly rest
Amid scenes like these, in the earth's cold breast,
Where the flowers of spring may bud and bloom,
And shed all their sweets on my nameless tomb,
Till time shall have pass'd, and the grave have giv'n
My sleeping dust to awake in heaven.

 

[The Ladies' Repository 5 (July 1845): 202.]

ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC EDITION

      William Baxter's "Solitude" was first published in The Ladies' Repository, and Gatherings of the West: A Monthly Periodical Devoted to Literature and Religion, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 1845, p. 202. This volume, edited by E. Thomson, was published in Cincinnati by L. Swormstedt and J. T. Mitchell for the Methodist Episcopal Church.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 8 April 2000.
Updated 28 June 2003.

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