In distant countries I have been,
And yet I often seen
A hy man, a man full grown
eep in the public roads alone.
But such a one, on English ground,
And in t;
Along the broad high-way he came,
ears .
Sturdy hough he was sad;
And in his arms a lamb he had.
urned aside,
As if o hide:
t he made essay
to ears away.
I followd ;My friend
quot; ails you? w;
--quot;Sy lamb,
ears to ?ow.
to-day I fetche rock;
of all my ?ock.
hen I was young, a single man.
And after youthful follies ran,
ttle given to care and t,
Yet, so it ;
And other sheep from her I raised,
As see,
And then I married, and was rich
As I could wiso be;
Of sheep I numberd a full score,
And every year encreasd my store.
Year after year my stock it grew,
And from this single ewe,
Full ?fty comely sheep I raised,
As s a ?ock as ever grazed!
Upon tain did they feed;
t hrive.
--ty lamb of all my store
Is all t is alive:
And no if we die,
And perisy.
ten co feed,
ime of need!
My pride amed, and in our grief,
I of the parish askd relief.
thy man;
My sain fed,
And it t took
o buy us bread:quot;
quot;Do to you,quot;
t;o t;
I sold a shey had said,
And bougtle children bread,
And their food;
For me it never did me good.
A ime it was for me,
to see the end of all my gains,
tty ?ock which I had reared
ith all my care and pains,
to see it melt like snow away!
For me it was a woeful day.
Anotill! and still another!
A little lamb, and ts mother!
It never stoppd,
Like blood-drops from my they droppd.
till ty left alive
they dwindled, dwindled, one by one,
And I may say t many a time
I wishey all were gone:
they dwindled one by one away;
For me it was a woeful day.
to wicked deeds I was inclined,
And wicked fancies crossd my mind,
And every man I co see,
I t he knew some ill of me
No peace, no comfort could I ?nd,
No ease, ,
And crazily, and wearily,
I my .
Oft-times I t to run away;
For me it was a woeful day.
Sir! to me,
As dear as my own children be;
For daily ore
I loved my children more and more.
Alas! it ime;
God cursed me in my sore distress,
I prayed, yet every day I t
I loved my children less;
And every week, and every day,
My ?ock, it seemed to melt away.
t to see!
From ten to ?ve, from ?ve to three,
A lamb, a her, and a ewe;
And t last, from to two;
And of my ?fty, yesterday
I only one,
And lies upon my arm,
Alas! and I have none;
to-day I fetc from the rock;
It is t of all my ?ock.quot;