LITTLE CHARLIE.

 A violet grew by the river-side,

And gladdened all hearts with its bloom;

While over the fields, on the scented¹ air,

It breathed a rich perfume.

But the clouds grew dark in the angry sky,

And its portals were opened wide;

And the heavy rain beat down the flower

That grew by the river-side.

Not far away, in a pleasant home,

There lived a little boy,

Whose cheerful face and childish grace

Filled every heart with joy.

He wandered one day to the river’s verge²,

With no one near to save;

And the heart that we loved with a boundless³ love

Was stilled in the restless wave.

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The sky grew dark to our tearful eyes,

And we bade farewell to joy;

For our hearts were bound by a sorrowful tie

To the grave of the little boy.

The birds still sing in the leafy tree

That shadows the open door:

We heed⁴ them not; for we think of the voice

That we shall hear no more.

We think of him at eventide,

And gaze on his vacant chair

With a longing⁵ heart, that will scarce believe

That Charlie is not there.

We seem to hear his ringing laugh,

And his bounding step at the door;

But, alas⁶! there comes the sorrowful thought,—

We shall never hear them more!

We shall walk sometimes to his little grave,

In the pleasant summer hours;

We will speak his name in a softened⁷ voice,

And cover his grave with flowers;

We will think of him in his heavenly home,—

His heavenly home so fair;

And we will trust with a hopeful trust

That we shall meet him there.

1 scented   

adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词)

参考例句：

• I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去，终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

4 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

5 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

6 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

7 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。