Page:A selection of war lyrics with illustrations on wood.djvu/28

WAR LYRICS. The oak and cedar bend and writhe

When roars the wind through the gap and braken;

But 'tis the tenderest reed of all

That trembles first when earth is shaken.



 ON THE SHORES OF TENNESSEE.

my arm-chair, faithful Pompey,

In the sunshine bright and strong,

For this world is fading, Pompey,—

Massa won't be with you long;

And I fain would hear the south wind

Bring once more the sound to me,

Of the wavelets softly breaking

On the shores of Tennessee.

Mournful though the ripples murmur,

As they still the story tell,

How no vessels float the banner

That I've loved so long and well;

I shall listen to their music,

Dreaming that again I see

Stars and Stripes on sloop and shallop

Sailing up the Tennessee.

"And, Pompey, while old Massa's waiting

For Death's last dispatch to come,

If that exiled, starry banner

Should come proudly sailing home,

You should greet it, slave no longer;—

Voice and hand shall both be free

That shout and point to Union colors

On the waves of Tennessee."

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