THE COMPLAINT OF A FORSAKEN INDIAN WOMAN
I feel my body die away,
My ?re is dead, and snowy white
For ever left alone am I,
For clothes, for warmth, for food, and ?re;
Yet is it dead, and I remain.
All stiff with ice the ashes lie;
My journey will be shortly run,
Too soon despair oer me prevailed;
I shall not see another sun,
My child! they gave thee to another,
Could I with thee a message send.
Then here contented will I lie;
You travel heavily and slow:
Ill look upon your tents again.
In spite of all my weary pain,
And Oh how grievously I rue,
No pleasure now, and no desire.
九_九_藏_书_网Before I see another day,
My friends, I did not follow you!
And then he stretched his arms, how wild!
And yet I am alive.
And yet they are upon my eyes,
And they are dead, and I will die.
With happy heart I then would die,
I saw the crackling ?ashes drive;
That he might pull the sledge for me.
When from my arms my babe they took,
I shall not see another day.
I feel I must have died with thee.
Another day, a single one!
For once could have thee close to me,
But they to me no joy can give,
--As if he strove to be a man,
I sho九九藏书网uld not feel the pain of dying,
My little joy! my little pride!
In sleep I heard the northern gleams;
For I had many things to say.
Oh wind that oer my head art ?ying,
Too soon my heartless spirit failed;
Alone I cannot fear to die.
When I was well, I wished to live,
Before I see another day,
THE COMPLAINT OF A FORSAKEN INDIAN WOMAN
Alas! you might have dragged me on
Oh let my body die away!
For strong and without pain I lay,
My poor forsaken child! if I
Too soon, my friends, you went away;
A woman who was not thy m九*九*藏*书*网other.
Then do not weep and grieve for me;
In sleep did I behold the skies,
If they have any life or no.
The stars they were among my dreams;
The way my friends their course did bend,
The water which beside it stood;
When you were gone my limbs were stronger,
The wolf has come to me to-night,
Then wherefore should I fear to die?
And he has stolen away my food.
Through his whole body something ran,
[_When a Northern Indian, from sickness, is unable to continue hisjourney with his companions; he is left behind, covered over withDeer-skins, and is supplied with water, food, and fuel if the situationof the place will afford it. He is informed of the track which hiscompanions intend to pursue, and if he is unable to follow, or overtakethem, he perishes alone in the Desart; unless he should have the goodfortune to fall in with some other Tribes of Indians. It is unnecessaryto add that the females are equally, or still more, exposed to the samefate. See that very interesting work, _Hearnes Journey from HudsonsBay to the Northern Ocean_. When the Northern Lights, as the same writerinforms us, vary their position in the air, they make a rustling and acrackling noise. This circumstance is alluded to in the ?rst stanza ofthe following poem._]99lib•net九九藏书
My ?re is dead: it knew no pain;
On me how strangely did he look!
Oh mercy! like a little child.
In two days more I must have died.
Oh let my body die away!
My friends, when you were gone away.
Ill follow you across the snow,
And my last thoughts would happy be,
That, afterwards, a little longer,
A most strange something did I see;
I cannot lift my limbs to know