“I hoped he’d have been in our home, baby,
Ere the Christmas bells had rung.
“This time, so full of affection’s delights,
Of pure and innocent mirth,
Is lonely and sad, since he is not here
To joy with me o’er thy birth.
“When last he sailed forth, all the bright green buds
Just peeped on the branches bare;
And thou, my child, like the beautiful flowers,
Hadst breathed not the spring’s sweet air.