who shall dare
To chide me for loving that old arm-chair?
I've cherished it long as a sainted prize;
I've bedewed it with tears and embalmed it with sighs.

[Illustration]

'Tis bound by a thousand bands to my heart;
Not a tie will break, not a link will start.
Would ye learn the spell?--a mother sat there;
And a sacred thing is that old arm-chair.

[Illustration]

In childhood's hour I lingered near
The hallowed seat with listening ear;
And gentle words that mother would give,
To fit me to die and teach me to live.

[Illustration]

She told me that shame would never betide,
With truth for my creed and God for my guide;

[Illustration]

She taught me to lisp my earliest prayer,
As I knelt beside that old arm-chair.

[Illustration]

I sat and watched her many a day,
When her eye grew dim and her locks were gray;
And I almost worshipped her when she smiled,
And turned from her Bible to bless her child.

[Illustration]

Years rolled on; but the last one sped--
My idol was shattered; my earth-star fled;

[Illustration]

I learned how much the heart could bear,
When I saw her die in that old arm-chair.

[Illustration]

'Tis past, 'tis past, but I gaze on it now
With quivering breath and throbbing brow:

[Illustration]

'Twas there she nursed me, 'twas there she died;
And Memory flows with lava tide.

[Illustration]

Say it is folly, and deem me weak,
While the scalding tears drop down my cheek:
But I love it, I love it, and cannot tear
My soul from a mother's old arm-chair.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Transcribers Note: The poem appears twice in the original, as reproduced
here; once without interruption, once with illustrations interspersed.]

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Old Arm-Chair, by Eliza Cook

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD ARM-CHAIR ***

***** This file should be named 29732.txt or 29732.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/9/7/3/29732/

Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in t