John Pierpont - The Saving Pledge

No more the sparkling glass invites,
It hath no charm for me;
The spell that bound me with delights
Is broken; and I'm free!


It lur'd me from my happy home,
It fill'd my heart with woe;
It made me wretched and forlorn,
A wanderer to and fro.


A beam of light broke on my mind,
Why was I thus distress'd?
What power on earth the will can bind?
By whom was I oppress'd?


Ay, now I see my deadly foe-
His hideous form appears:
He lurks within the pois'nous bowl,
'Mid sighs, and groans, and tears.


The poison'd chalice to my lips
Shall ne'er again be press'd
The Pledge I'll ever, ever keep,
For by the Pledge I'm bless'd!

John Pierpont

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-saving-pledge/