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The Exile's Return

from Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856) by John Collie (1834-1893)

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“ With all my affluence , when my woes are weighed , Envy must own the purchase dearly paid . ” Pope's Homer's Odyessy .

lyrics

DEAR scenes of childhood , still by me beloved , Though distant far I from your charms have roved Through spicy groves where crystal rivers run , And wild flowers wither ' neath a southern sun ; Yet all I leave , their charms I bid adieu , And fly in haste , my native land , to you . Swift through the waves the noble vessel steers , And at the last my native land appears . Hail to her cliffs ! their grandeur swells my soul , And tears of gladness down my wan cheeks roll ; With joy I claim her crags , to me long lost , I see her mountains , and I scan her coast ; And longing wait that I again may be Wbere floats the banner of the brave and free . No longer fears exist , nor doubts beguile Once more I tread upon my native soil : I view her oliffs , though rugged , yet sublime , By storms unalter'd , and unchanged by time ; All seem the same as when in youthful pride . I roamed exulting by their foamy side .

With rapid steps I leave the rocky shore , To tread the footsteps often trod of yore ; Each winding path where I in youth have strayed , Each flowery mead where I in youth have played , Each hazel bush , and moss - encircled stone , Bid woes and sorrows for a time be gone , Sorrows depart , and woes no longer live , They die , alas , but soon again revive . I reach my home , I view the rustic chair , I seek a parent , but no parent's there ; I gaze around in quest of former friends , I call , I listen , but no voice responds . Sad recollections of my early bliss , No friend now hails me with a friend's embrace ; All are departed , and in dust are laid ; My home deserted , and my home decayed , I take my seat beneath the aged tree , Whose hoary arms in youth oft sheltered me ; Then o'er my soul the biting grief returns , My woes surround me , and my bosom burns , To think that all my promised joys are vain , And I must linger out a life of pain . Then farewell joy , since I no more can share A parent's friendship , or a parent's care , And welcome grief , that I my woes may mourn , Till death's last summons seal me in my urn .

credits

from Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856), track released May 19, 2021
John Collie (1834-1893) - lyrics

Dave Edwards - acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocal

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fiffdimension Featherston, New Zealand

Outsider music from Aotearoa NZ and beyond, by Dave Edwards and collaborators (from 1856 to 2024).

Spans acoustic & electric noise, rock, folk, spoken word, postpunk, free jazz, gamelan, lo fi, electronica, & ethnomusicology.

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