From Ailenroc鈥檚 Book, by Cornelia Alexander
Once I knew a joyous maiden,
Happy as a summer bird,
Laughing, singing 鈥榤ong the flowers;
Her young heart with pleasure stirred.
O the happy days of childhood!
How they flit like phantoms by!
While I retrospect those hours,
Wondering vaguely: Was it I?
How I marveled then at faces
Growing graver with the years,
And at eyes that lost their brightness,
Quenched their light in bitter tears!
Now I marvel at the gladness
Of the days so long gone by,
While I sit a silent weeper,
Wondering: Can this be I?
Happy hours鈥攖hey have fled forever;
Happy heart has left my breast;
Childhood鈥檚 days have fled like shadows,
Womanhood hath brought no rest.
All alone in wintry darkness
Sit I as the days go by,
Thinking of my happy girlhood,
Wondering: Can this be I?
I have a copy of Ailenroc’s Book. I want to know if it is an original. According to the Preface it would seem so, but I need to confirm this. Can you help me? I can not find much online. Thanks.
As far as I know Ailenroc’s Book only had one edition. If yours was published in 1899 by the Gospel Advocate Publishing Company, I’m pretty sure it’s original.