The Empire Of Woman 4: The Wife
The
Daughter
from
her
father's
bosom
goes-
The
Sister
drops
her
brother's
clasping
hand-
For
God
himself
ordained
a
holier
band
Than
kindred
blood
on
human
minds
bestows:
That
stronger,
deeper,
dearer
tie
she
knows,
The
heart-wed
Wife;
as
heaven
by
rainbow
spanned,
Thus
bright
with
hope
life's
path
before
her
glows-
Proves
it
like
mirage
on
the
desert's
sand?
Still
in
her
soul
the
light
divine
remains-
And
if
her
husband's
strength
be
overborne
By
sorrow,
sickness,
or
the
felon's
chains,-
Such
as
by
England's
noblest
son*
were
worn,-
Unheeding
how
her
own
poor
heart
is
torn,
She,
angel-like,
his
sinking
soul
sustains.
Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale was born on October 24th, 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire. Her parents were strong advocates for education of both sexes. Therefore, Hale was taught well beyond the normal age for a woman. Later, she married a lawyer David Hale, who supported her in all scholarly endeavors. Sadly, her husband died after only nine years of marriage, leaving Hale a widow with five children. She turned to poetry as a form of income. Her most famous book, titled Poems for Our Children included a beloved story from her childhood. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was instantly a popular nursey rhyme.