On this day in 1755 ...

The Council of Nova Scotia made a decision to deport Acadians on the pretext that they had refused the oath of allegiance to Britain. Over the next few years, most of the Acadians, who were the descendants of French settlers, were rounded up and deported, many going to Louisiana. Others managed to flee to Quebec or hide. It is estimated about one half of them died during the expulsion

Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882

PRELUDE

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath it
Leaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman
Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,
Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,
Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?
Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!
Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October
Seize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o'er the ocean
Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.

Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion,
List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;
List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.

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Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Poems | poets.org