A Requiem

To the Memory of the Late President McKinley.

[For THE PRESS.]

The man we loved is gone; gone in his prime—
Gone in his grace and beauty! And the heart
That beat in unison with all things great
Is pulseless now, and we are left to mourn.
The centre of a system of fond friends,
And he the loved of all! Gentle in speech,
And true in eloquence, with winning smile
That made all easy. He alas! is gone.
Yet, as the rainbow’s colors paint the rose
That yields sweet odours, even after death,
So shall he live embalmed in many a heart!
Devoid of all prejudice, blest with a mind
Above all meanness, kind and affable;
For ever [sic] anxious to do good to all,
Without distinction of their rank or creed;
Tried, as he was, with deep domestic grief,
With losses that could never be repaired,
He still maintained the man, though in his soul,
Sad sorrows lingered like a nymph in tears!
Ah! many will lament his loss and feel
Another star has darkened in the sky!