[James Montgomery, op. cit. Entire poem reprinted. Cf. [Preface].]
The following imitation of the celebrated Swiss air "Ran des Vaches," in which there is great simplicity and sweetness, is from the pen of the Editor of the Sheffield Iris, author of the Wanderer of Switzerland.
THE SONG OF THE SWISS IN A
STRANGE LAND.
O when shall I visit the land of my birth,
The loveliest land on the face of the earth?
When shall I those scenes of affection explore,
Our forests, our fountains,
Our hamlets, our mountains,
With the pride of our mountains, the maid I adore?
O when shall I dance on the daisy white mead,
In the shade of an elm, to the sound of the reed?
When shall I return to thy lowly retreat,
Where all my fond objects of tenderness meet?
The lambs and the heifers that follow my call;
My father, my mother,
My sister, my brother,
And dear Isabella, the joy of them all?
O when shall I visit the land of my birth?
'Tis the loveliest land on the face of the earth.
—J. M.
Sheffield, June 1808.
Emerald, n. s., I-624, Oct. 15, 1808, Boston.
[Ranz des Vaches.
James Montgomery, The West Indies and Other Poems, 3rd. ed., Phila., 1811 (London, 1810).