On the Death of Catherine (Hayes) Bushnell
by Thomas Hood.
Originally published in St. James's Magazine (W. Kent) vol.2 #2 (Sep 1861).
But late among us, with that smile so tender[1],
Thrilling the hearts of the attentive throng
With all that Genius and true Feeling render
To give a charm to Song.
Now—gone! Yet mourn her not: for she rejoices:
In the bright realm, to which her soul has fled,
She joins her voice with Heaven’s exultant voices—
One of the happy dead!
Yet we must grieve—we, who are left behind her,
To lack companionship so fine and rare;
To feel a void where we were wont to find her—
To miss her every-where!
As—in some soft spring morning, dim and early—
Ere yet the daylight has dispersed the dark—
Soaring aloft above the meadows pearly
We hear the trilling lark;
Our ear the mounting melody still follows
Towering in circles on its pinions strong—
Till an abrupt and sudden silence swallows
The clear yet distant song!
Thus we—her voice within our hearts still ringing—
Scarce feel our loss in full—but, doubting, sigh—
"She is not dead. We have but missed her singing,
She was so near the sky!"
1. Those who remember Mrs, Bushnell cannot fail to recall the peculiarly sweet smile with which she greeted the applause that never failed to follow her song.