"The Death Of President Lincoln" by Mrs. E. Van Santvoord (1865)

THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.

BY MRS. E. VAN SANTVOORD.

        A Nation's mighty heart

                Throbs with a voiceless woe;

        The skies in pity weep,

                The winds are sobbing low.

The gentle stars have veiled their light,

And deep'ning gloom enshrouds the night.

        The patriot heart is stilled —

                Stilled by a murderer's hand!

        Strong men are bowed in grief,

                And mourning fills the land.

And countless eyes are dimmed with tears,

Sad hearts oppressed with anxious fears.

        A few brief days agone

                Bells rang with merry peal;

        And brightening omens told

                Our country's future weal;

Flags floated on the sun-lit air,

The night was o'er of our despair.

        How changed the joyous scene!

                Now draped in midnight gloom

        The stars and stripes he loved:—

                Oh, plant them o'er his tomb;

Thus may the sacred emblem keep

Sweet vigil o'er his peaceful sleep.

        That warm and kindly heart,

                It knew no bitter thought;

        With hopeful faith and love,

                Its deeds of mercy wrought;

It ne'er betrayed our fervent trust.

Our Country guards the hallowed dust!

                                                Troy Daily Times.

April 15, 1865.

A Tribute of Respect by the Citizens of Troy to the Memory of Abraham Lincoln. Troy, NY: Young & Benson, 1865. 92-93.