Orphan Wanderers

NEW-YORK

D. APPLETON & CO. 200 BROADWAY.
Gentle lady, good and happy,
Hear my simple tale, I pray;
’Tis the sad, sad truth, I tell you,
Send us not so soon away.

Once we had a home of plenty,
Once we knew a father’s care,
Once a mother’s fond affection
Breathed for us the nightly prayer.
Now we wander, lost, and lonely,
Over many a weary mile;
Gloomy night comes gathering¹ round us,
But we find no mother’s smile.
Once there came a gloomy winter,
Trade was bad, and wages low,
Dark December rains were falling
Over heaps of melting snow.

 

One sad evening—never, never
Can that evening be forgot;
Something came, across our father,
Anger—grief—we knew not what.
From that time his mind seemed wandering,
And his manly² look was gone;
Sometimes kind, and sometimes fretful,
Constant to one vice³ alone.
Constant to one guilty pleasure,
When those fatal doors were passed,
Shame was vanquished⁴, conscience followed,
All our comforts went at last.
Long my mother bore in silence
Loss of plenty, loss of fame;
Though sometimes the gossip’s slander⁵
Tinged⁶ her faded cheek with shame.
Little did we know that sorrow
Had such deep and deadly power,
Little dreamed her strength was failing—
Failing faster, hour by hour;
[97]
Till one awful moment told us
All the fatal truth at last;
To her restless bed she called us,
O’er my brow her fingers passed.
There were sighs, and words so broken,
Yet so fond, and full of love;
And her smiles—we ne’er forgot them,
Like an angel’s from above.
Thus she passed; and oh how lonely—
Worse than lonely we were left!
All too late, our wretched father
Seemed of every hope bereft⁷.
Sometimes frantic⁸, sometimes sullen⁹,
Weeping like a fretful child,
Oftener to his haunts returning,
Lost and reckless, weak and wild.
Thus he died: we asked not whether
By the public way he fell;
Strangers brought him to our dwelling¹⁰,
None the dreadful tale would tell.
 
Thus, kind lady, thus we wander
Over many a weary mile:
I could work—but little Martha,
Who would care for her the while?
Would your daughters, gentle lady,
Hear my little sister sing?
Small the pittance¹¹ that we ask you,
Hunger is a fearful thing.
May you never know how bitter
Sorrow is, and want, and shame;
Gracious Heaven has made you happy,
May it keep you still the same!
M  E .
 

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 vanquished   

v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 slander   

n./v.诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• The article is a slander on ordinary working people.那篇文章是对普通劳动大众的诋毁。
• He threatened to go public with the slander.他威胁要把丑闻宣扬出去。

6 tinged   

v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• memories tinged with sadness 略带悲伤的往事
• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣

7 bereft   

adj.被剥夺的

参考例句：

• The place seemed to be utterly bereft of human life.这个地方似乎根本没有人烟。
• She was bereft of happiness.她失去了幸福。

8 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

9 sullen   

adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的

参考例句：

• He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
• Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。

10 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

11 pittance   

n.微薄的薪水，少量

参考例句：

• Her secretaries work tirelessly for a pittance.她的秘书们为一点微薄的工资不知疲倦地工作。
• The widow must live on her slender pittance.那寡妇只能靠自己微薄的收入过活。