Hope pleasing harbinger of good
Extend thy influence o’er my heart,
Endue me with thy heavenly power,
To sooth base care’s corroding smart.
’Tis thou sweet hope, canst cheer the mind,
And warn it gainst approaching ill,
Thou canst the pris’ner’s chains unbind,
And the forlorn with comfort fill.
Oh, dear delusion — lovely maid,
Attend me thro’ life’s busy maze,
Be ever near me, when the shade,
Of adverse fortune clouds my days.
’Tis hope which cheers the sailor’s heart,
When angry Neptune’s storms arise,
From fell despair she takes the dart
Again tho’lt see thy love she cries.
’Tis hope which guides the Christian thro’
The dreary vale of life, serene,
That opens Heaven to his view,
That mounts all obstacles between.
Sweet hope, to me thy aid extend,
Impart thy comforts to my mind,
Be with me till my days I end
Till realiz’d true bliss I find.
E.R. June 4th 1810