Poem from Hammond Bouldin to Mary Chappell

To Mary

I wait for thee Mary, the vesper's low bell
has tolled for the daylight a funeral knell,
My bark is impatient to bound o'er the sea,
Sweet Mary, my Mary, I'm waiting for thee;
Far hence o'er the billow, a home I have made,
Delightful with blossoms and pleasant with shade,
Where life shall pass gaily like beautiful dreams
As bright as the sunshine, as glad as the streams.

I wait for thee Mary, my heart beateth fast,
The future is painted with hours from the past,
And fancy's creations, the brightest and best,
like heavenly visions arise in my breast;
The stars shed their lustre, the moon smileth bright,
Earth sleeps in the bosom of guardian night,
My boat is impatient to fly o'er the sea,
Sweet Mary, my Mary, I'm waiting for thee.

Sept 5th 1851

Hammond Bouldin

Madison City, Ala.

To Mary
Well---peace to thy heart, though another it be,
And health to thy cheek though it blooms not for me.

This poem was written by Hammond Bouldin when he was age 26, after the death of his first wife, Martha. Mary Chappell was the granddaughter of the founder of Chappell Hill, TX; after Hammond discovered hat Mary married another man (shortly after the initial poem was written), he added a final stanza.