Patrick Regan has kindly shared the material from his George Heath site with readers of the Victorian Web, who may wish to consult the original.
Go thy way, thou fortunate,
Hie thee from thy mother-lands,
Get thee wealth, be wise and great,
Grave thy mark on richer strands;
Seek beyond the great, wide sea —
Calmly, closely, steadfastly —
But thou'lt never, never find,
'Mid the ravished beauty there,
One wee face so lily fair,
One pure heart that aye will be
Fondly, truly, tenderly,
Evermore as true to thee
As the one thou leav'st behind.
Darker eyes may on thee shine,
Gaudier forms around thee start,
Fiercer loves may seek to twine
Earthy tendrils round thy heart:
In that flushed and ardent zone
Hotter hands may clasp thy own,
But thou'lt never, never find
One small hand so soft and white,
One brown eye so full of light,
One fond bosom that will be
Bravely, purely, tenderly,
Evermore as true to thee,
As the one thou leav'st behind.
Get thee drunk with rich perfume,
And the spell of beauty blent;
Bask amid the hectic bloom
Of the lucent orient;
Search among the galaxy
Of the gorgeous and the free,
But thou'lt never, never find
One low promise half so sure,
One affection half so pure,
One fair being that will be
Fondly, wholly, constantly,
Aye so faithful unto thee,
As the one thou leav'st behind.
Many a sun must rise and set,
Many a buoyant heart forget,
Many a season bloom and fall,
Ere again ye twain have met,
If again ye meet at all!
But I trust that fate at last
May reverse thy flying mast;
That, returning, thou may'st find
Breathing still that bosom chaste,
Though the snow be interlaced
With the auburn in her hair,
And her brow be seamed with care;
And that thou with passion kind
Cherish her who aye will be,
Fondly, truly, tenderly —
Wheresoe'er thy steps may be,
Near or far, on land or sea —
Ever faithful unto thee —
Weeping lonely now behind!
Last modified 3 September 2002