Phillis Wheatley(ea. 1753–1784)
A Farewell to America. To Mrs. S. W.
Adieu, New-England's smiling meads,meadows
Adieu, the flow'ry plain:
I leave thine op'ning charms, O spring,
And tempt the roaring main.sea
In vain for me the flow'rets rise,
And boast their gaudy pride,
While here beneath the northern skies
I mourn for health denied.2
Celestial maid of rosy hue,3
O let me feel thy reign!influence, dominion
I languish till thy face I view,
Thy vanished joys regain.
Susannah mourns, nor can I bear
To see the crystal show'r,
Or mark the tender falling tear
At sad departure's hour;
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Not unregarding can I see
Her soul with grief opprest;
But let no sighs, no groans for me,
Steal from her pensive breast.
In vain the feathered warblers sing,
In vain the garden blooms,
And on the bosom of the spring
Breathes out her sweet perfumes,
While for Britannia's distant shore
We sweep the liquid plain,
And with astonished eyes explore
The wide-extended main.
Lo! Health appears! celestial dame!
Complacent and serene,
With Hebe's4 mantle o'er her frame,
With Sul-delighting mien.appearance, expression
To mark the vale where London liesvalley
With misty vapors crowned,
Which cloud Aurora's5 thousand dyes,
And veil her charms around,
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Why, Phoebus,6 moves thy car so slow
So slow thy rising ray
Give us the famous town to view,
Thou glorious king of day!
For thee, Britannia, I resign
New England's smiling fields;
To view again her charms divine,
What joy the prospect yields!
But thou! Temptation hence away,
With all thy fatal train
Nor once seduce my soul away,
By thine enchanting strain.
Thrice happy they, whose heav'nly shield
Secures their souls from harms,
And fell Temptation on the field destructive
Of all its pow'r disarms!
Boston, May 7, 1773