Remember Thee!

Remember thee! yes, while there's life in this heart, It shall never forget thee, all lorn as thou art; More dear in thy sorrow, thy gloom, and thy showers, Than the rest of the world in their sunniest hours. Wert thou all that I wish thee, great, glorious, and free, First flower of the earth, and first gem of the sea, I might hail thee with prouder, with happier brow, But oh! could I love thee more deeply tha now? No, thy chains as they rankle, thy blood as it runs, But make thee more painfully dear to thy sons -- Whose hearts, like the young of the desert-bird's nest, Drink love in each life-drop that flows from thy breast.