Recently, I happened upon an online book of "acrostics" by Robert Blackwell published in 1861 which contained verses written about John A. Reves and Nancy Cole Reves. John A. Reves was the son of George B. Reves and Mary Farmer who had left Stokes County, North Carolina, migrating to Carroll County, Mississippi sometime between 1840 and 1850.
According to the dictionary, an acrostic is "a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc."
John A. Reves
Of Carroll County, Miss.
JUST and true, thy course pursue,
Offending none, from errors free,
Helping all who on thee call,
Now listen what we say to thee:
All love thee well who round thee dwell,
Regarding all thy actions true;
Extending light, each day and night,
Victorious on thy course pursue;
Encouraged by each motive high,
Still serve the Lord who rules the sky.
Nancy Reves
Of Carroll County, Miss.
NEATER by far, than a precious gold ring,
And once on a time, hearing her sing,
Nightingales came, her presence to greet;
Conscious that they, her music could beat,
Yet failing in this, did quickly retreat,
Resolving no more, in the land to be heard.
Excelled at last, by a mortal endeared,
Visions of glory, all vanished away;
Each fearing to speak, did secretly say
She sang more sweet, than an angel to-day.
From:
''Original Acrostics on all the States and Presidents of the United States,''
''and Various Other Subjects, Religious, Political, and Personal''
by Robert Blackwell
Pub. 1861 in Nashville TN, pg 157
IBID, pg 188
No comments:
Post a Comment