Preface (3)
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Stanzas
To Mrs Amy M. Cassey
Melodiously sweet you beautiful stream
Glides calmly away ‘neath the moon’s bright beam;
Spangled all o’er is its crystal face,
Embracing the Heaven’s dazzling space.
May thy life as that stream flow gently away,
Illum’d in its course by a heavenly ray;
Zephyrs soft cheering thy life as it flies,
And thy heart as the stream reflect naught but the skies.
And oh! may the one thou hast blest with thy hand,
Prove as true to thy love as thy virtue command;
Those scenes of delight your fond hearts have enjoyed,
May they oft be repeated and ne’er be alloy’d.
Emily M B Willson
This poem by anti-slavery activist Emily Willson contains various blessings Willson wishes for Amy Cassey. In the first half of the poem Willson speaks about Cassey’s life, which she analogizes as a stream. Willson wishes that Cassey’s life would glide “calmly away ‘neath the moon’s bright beam” while winds cheer her life as it goes by. The second half of the poem speaks about the love between Cassey and her husband; the author hopes that the “one thou hast blest with thy hand” proves “as true to thy love as thy virtue command.” This poem serves as a well-wish; Willson hopes that Cassey’s life flows “gently away” and that her husband prove “true to [her] love.”