X sea^13 - Villanova University Digital Library

THE VILLANOVAN 21
Valedictory Ode
Farewell, farewell, ye old familiar grounds,
Ye winding walks and sloping grassy mounds;
Thou massive structure, spreading wide thy wings
Of silent stone, to which green ivy clings.
Fair yonder hills with fairer vales below.
Tall, stately trees now bending to and fro;
We needs must bid a last farewell to ye
And humbly seek the final Benedicite.
Farewell, farewell, ye undergraduates.
Ye friends and fellow-students, college mates.
Fill well the places we have left unfilled.
Till well the soil we may have left untilled.
Soon we shall stand upon Time's crowded shore
And fondly trace the steps we made of yore.
And all too soon this day will come to you
When you must leave behind the White and Blue.
And now, my classmates, though in number few,
Comprising not a third of those we knew.
Since first we met within these hallowed halls
And heard the echoes sounding from their walls,
The hour is striking with a solemn chime;
It summons us to heed the passing time
So, fare ye well, forever fare ye well;
But in each heart let love and honor dwell.
Joseph E. Heney, '18.