A Golden Wedding William Davis Gallagher |
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1 A song for the Early Times Out West, And our green old forest-home, Whose pleasant memories freshly yet Across the bosom come: A song for the free and gladsome life In those early days we led, With a teeming soil beneath our feet, And a smiling Heav'n o'erhead! Oh, the waves of life danced merrily, And had a joyous flow, In the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
2 The hunt, the shot, the glorious chase, The captured elk, or deer; The camp, the big bright fire, and then The rich and wholesome cheer:- The sweet sound sleep at dead of night, By our camp-fires blazing high- Unbroken by the wolf's long howl, And the panther springing by. Oh, merrily pass'd the time, despite Our wily Indian foe, In the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
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3 We shunn'd not labor: when't was due We wrought with right good will; And for the homes we won for them, Our children bless us still. We lived not hermit lives, but oft In social converse met; And fires of love were kindled then, That burn on warmly yet. Oh, pleasantly the stream of life Pursued its constant flow, In the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
4 We felt that we were fellow men; We felt we were a band, Sustain'd here in the wilderness By Heaven's upholding hand. And when the solemn Sabbath came, Assembling in the wood, We lifted up our hearts in prayer To God the only Good. Our temples then were earth and sky; None others did we know, In the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
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5 Our forest-life was rough and rude, And dangers closed us round; But here, amid the green old trees, Freedom was sought and found. Oft through our dwellings wintry blasts Would rush, with shriek and moan; We cared not-though they were but frail, We felt they were our own! Oh, free and manly lives we led, Mid verdure, or mid snow, In the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
6 But now our course of life is short; And as, from day to day, We're walking on with weakening step, And halting by the way, Another Land more bright than this, To our dim sight appears, And on our way to it we all Are moving with the years. Yet while we linger, we may still Our backward glances throw, To the days when we were Pioneers, Fifty years ago! |
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From the book "Miami Woods, A Golden Wedding, and other poems" by William Davis Gallagher, 1809-1894. Published: Cincinnati, R. Clarke & Co., 1881. | ||
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Louis O. Foss used verses 4 and 6 of this poem in his book "History of Stony Brook Township" He made a couple of wording changes, I like the differences. | ||
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Page 15 "We felt that we were fellow-men; We felt we were a band, Sustained here in the wilderness By Heaven's upholding hand. And when the solemn Sabbath came, We gathered in the wood, And lifted up our hearts in prayer To God, the only good. Our temples then were earth and sky, None others did we know, In the days when we were pioneers, Fifty years ago." |
Page 273 "But now our course of life is short; And as, from day to day, We're walking on with halting step, And fainting by the way- Another land, more bright than this, To our dim sight appears, And on our way to it, we'll soon Again be pioneers! And while we linger, we may all A backward glance still throw, To the days when we were pioneers, Fifty years ago!" |
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