il^)iu^^i::;l■■U^^i\hl■A:.^J*fy:.:■^':^ lifter ';'".''*'^ ^f^ ^j-feaesrc iK f t^t'tc. //^y^i^^/U-r:: E AMZ S ffip/A XJjp A WM"^ CAROLINE MAY. OUcw ^orh; 1^ BR® PEARLS PEOM TUK AMERICAlSr ^ OAEOLINE MAY, IZZ Z/ST'EA TJSH), .' • ■* ■9 4 ■) :> O ■) O ' PUBLISHED BY .A. 31. IL. E 3Sr BI^OTHCEI^S, NEW YORK. %S^ to OTv Entorcd according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by ALLEN BROTHEllS, In tho Clerk's office of the District Court for tLc Southern District of New York. P K E F A C £ . One of the most striking characteristics of the present iign is the number of female writers, especially in the department of belles-lettres. This is even more true of the United States, than of the old world ; and poetry, which is the lan- guage of the affections, has been freely employed among us to express the emotions of woman's heart. Few American women, besides the author of Zophiel, have written poems of any considerable length, but many have published volumes of poetry, and fugitive pieces of various merit have been poured forth through our newspapers and other periodicals, with the utmost profusion. This very profaseness has led many to underrate the genuine value, which upon closer examination will be found appertaining to these snatches of American song. As the rare exotic, costly because of the .distance from which it is brought, will often suffer in comparison of beauty and fragrance with the abundant wild flowers of our meadows and woodland slopes, so the reader of our present volume, if ruled by an honest taste, will discover in the effusions of our gifted country- 1* (v) VI PREFACE. women as much grace of form, and powerful sweetness of thought and feehng, as in the blossoms of w^oman's genms culled from other lands. The personal pleasure enjoyed during some careful searches for the greatest specimens of worth and beauty in this fertile garden of literature, has Ifed the editor to believe that the collection now made may not be unw^elcome to the public generally. It must be borne in mind that n'ot many ladies in this country are permitted sufficient leisure from the cares and duties of home to devote themselves, either from choice, or as a means of living, to literary pursuits. Hence, the themes which have suggested the greater part of the following poems have been derived from the incidents and associations of every- day life. And home, with its quiet joys, its deep pure sympathies, and its secret sorrows, with which a stranger must not intermeddle, is a sphere by no means limited for woman, whose inspiration lies more in her heart than her head. Deep emotions make a good foundation for lofty and beautiful thoughts. The deeper the foundation, the more elevated may be the superstructure. Moreover, the essence of poetry is beauty; "the essence of beauty is love." And where should \vomen lavish most unreservedly, and receive most largely, the warmest, purest, and most changeless, affection, but in the sacred retiremenj of home "Where love is an unerring light, And joy its own security?' As it would not be altogether right to send forth the editor's gatherings without some attention to order and PREFACE. VH classification, a chronological arrangement, so far as it was powssible, has been pursued. Neither have pains been spared to seek out those who in the earlier years of the country have written verses perhaps of slight merit, yet whose names are interesting from other considerations. At the same time the desire of indulging a mere antiquarian taste, has not tempted the editor from the main and more useful purpose of presenting a compilation of the best pieces. It may be also, that a few names have been omitted, which, in the estimation of some, should have received notice. Where, however, the materials were so abundant, and the space so restricted, it was necessary to select. The accomplishment of this work has been greatly assisted, by the cheerful kindness with which permission to use the name and productions of the authors has been granted. Such permission has been sought in every case where it was practicable ; and, with very few exceptions, nothing coula exceed the courtesy and liberality shown the editor by those ladies whose favours she asked. It only remains for her to regret that one or two names, which she would gladly have inserted, have been omitted, in compliance with the wishes of those who had the only perfect right to dictate the omission. With regard to the biographical part, facts have been sought, and generally obtained from the direct sources of reliable information. In a few instances, the editor has been compelled to resort to printed authorities; for one notice (that of Mrs. Lowell,) she is wholly indebted to Mr, Gris- Vm PREFACE. wold; whose politeness should be appreciated more highly, as he is himself engaged upon a work of a similar character. Reports or on-dits, whether flattering or detractive, have been invariably rejected. This may account for the shortness of some of the sketches, the subjects of which are themselves most interesting. No women of refinement, however worthy of distinction — and the most worthy are always the most modest — like to have the holy privacy of their personal movements invaded. To say where they were born seems quite enough while they are alive. Thus, several of our correspondents declared their fancies to be their only facts; others that they had done nothing all their lives; and some, — wdth a modesty most extreme — that they had not lived at all. If in any case it may be thought that due justice has not been done, the editor is conscious that the error has been unintentional; and hopes for that ready pardon which true charity always accords to a right purpose, however imperfectly executed. CONTENTS. ANNE BRADSTHEET Biographical Sketch i'age 15 From " Contemplations " 16 JANE TURELL Biographical Sketch 21 A Paraphrase of the one hundred and thirty-fourth Psalm 22 An Invitation into the Country, in Imitation of Horace. 24 ANNE ELIZA BLEECKER Biographical Sketch 26 To Mr. Bleecker, on his Passage to New York 27 An Evening Prospect 29 Lines to Grief 'SI Hymn 32 Return to Tomhanick 32 MARGARETTA V. FAUGERES Biographical Sketch 34 ■^rhe Hudson 34 A Version of part of the seventh chapter of Job 37 On a Painter 39 PHILLIS WHEATLEY Biographical Sketch 39 On the Death of a Young Gentle- man of great Promise 40 Sleep 41 MERCY WARREN Biographical Sketch 42 Extract from a Political Reverie. 42 To an amiable Friend Mourning the Death of an excellent Father 44 BAR AH PORTER Biographical Sketch 46 The Royal Penitent's Self-Impre- cation 46 Grandeur Fails to give Content. . 46 i SARAH WENTWORTH MCSTON Biographical Sketch 48 The African Cliief. 48 MRS. LITTLE Biographical Sketch. .50 Tlidnksgiving 50 MARIA A. BROOKS Biographical Sketch - . 57 Description of Egla 58 Egla's Bower 60 Ambition 61 The Obedient Love of Woman her Highest Bliss 62 Zophiel's Offerings to Egla 63 Sardius in his Pavilion with Al- theetor 64 Zophiel's Lament over Altheetor 65 Midnight 66 The Gnome's Song 67 Morning 68 Twilight Thoughts 69 Song 70 The Guardian Angel 71 To Robert Soathey 72 Friendship 73 Lines f 74 Song 76 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY Biographical Sketch 76 Sunset on the Alleghany ........ 78 Farewell to a Rural Residence . . 8ts Niagara - 82 Autumn '. . .- 84 To an Absent Daughter 85 Wild Flowers Gathered for a Sick Friend 86 Solitude 86 The Happy Farmer 88 The Lonely Church 89 No Concealment 90 The Benefactress 91 (ix) CONTENTS. The Little Hand 93 Silent Devotion 94 To a Dying Infant 95 ] iines - 96 Advertisement of a Lost Day. ... 97 Memory 98 Dew-Drops 99 ANNA MARIA WELLS Biographical Sketch 100 My Closet 100 Morning 102 To Mary, Sleeping 103 " We '11 Never Part Again " 104 The Sea-Bird 106 The White Hare - 108 The Future ~ . 109 To the Wliippoorwill Ill Hope 112 CAROLINE OILMAN ^ Biographical Sketch 115 My Piazza 115 A Sketch 117 " He for God only, She for God in Him" 118 My Garden 119 Old Age 121 The Child's Wish in June 121 The Mocking-Bird in the City 122 BAR AH JOBEPHA HALE Biographical Sketch 123 Iron... .'. 124 The Chase of Pleasure 127 The Four-Leaved Clover 128 The Watcher 130 I Sing to Him .*. 131 Description of Alice Ray 132 The Mississippi 134 The First Swallow 138 Bonds 140 The Two Maidens 141 Is China Our Neighbour ?. 142 The Power of Music 143 It Snows 145 MARIA JAMES Biographical Sketch 147 The Twilight Hour 148 Christmas 148 Good-Friday 150 The Picture 150 What in Poetry? 151 JESSIE G. M'CARTEE Biographical Sketch 15 1 How Beautiful is Sleep 15-:! The Stream in the Desert 154 The Death of Moses 155 The Heavenly Song 156 MRS. GRAY Biographical Sketch 157 Sabbath Reminiscences 153 Two Hundred Fears Ago 161 Morn 164 ELIZA FOLLEN Biographical Sketch 166 Winter Scenes in the Country ... 166 On the Death of a Beautiful Girl. 169 " To Whom Shall We Go ?" 169 To My ^olian Harp 170 The Little Spring 170 LOUISA JANE HALL Biographical Sketch 171 Prayer 172 Miriam explains to Paulus why They must Part 173 Miriam Appeals to the Heart of Piso 178 MRS. SWIFT Biographical Sketch 181 Stanzas 181 The Night-Blooming Cereus 182 Memory 183 A Christmas Carol 184 MRS. E. C. KINNEY Biographical Sketch 185 The Quakeress Bride 186 Fading Autumn 187 A Winter Night. 187 Cultivation 188 Encouragement 188 The Spirit of Song 189 Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester 191 MARGUERITE ST. LEON LOUD Biographical Sketch 193 The Deserted Homestead 193 " Jesus Wept " 195 . Prayer for an Absent Husband. . . 196 The Aged 197 LUELLA J. CASE Biographical Sketch 198 Energy in Adversity 198 CONTENTS. XI Charity - 19J The Unbidden Guest 399 GIJZABETH BOGART Biographical Sketch 201 He Came Too Late ; . 202 To the Memory of a Friend wlio Died on Sabbath Morning 203 The Country Church 205 A. D. WOODBRIDGE Biographical Sketch 207 Life's Light and Shade 207 To Lillie 209 ELIZABETH MARGARET CHAND- LER Biographical Sketch 210 The Brandywine 210 The Soldier's Prayer 213 The Devoted 215 The Chinese Son 216 EMMA C. EMBURY Biographical Sketch 218 " The Night Cometh " 219 Christ in the Tempest 221 Jane of France 223 Absence .*. 225 Farewell 226 Maiden Purity 227 How Have I Thought of Thee?. . 228 Confidence in Heaven 229 Remembrance 229 Love Me Still 230 Poor, bilt Happy 231 Error 232 Inquietude 232 Oh ! Tell Me Not of Lofty Fate. . 233 Dark Thoughts 234 Heedlessness 235 gARAH HELENA WHITMAN Biographical Sketch 236 Thoughts of the Past 237 A Song of Spring .'. 239 David 240 She Blooms No More . . • 242 On Carlo Dolce's Magdalen 244 Hymn 246 Pf NTHIA TAGGART Biographical Sketch. . . , 248 Invocation to- Health 250 Autumn 251 Ode to the Poppy 252 ELIZABETH J. EAMES Biographical Sketch 255 " There shall be Light " 255 Diem Perdidi 257 Charitj- 257 Lines 258 On the Picture of a Departed Poetess 259 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH Biographical Sketch 260 The Acorn 2G1 Charity, in Despair of Justice. . . . 269 The Great Aim 270 Angels 270 Unprofitable Servants 271 Stanzas.. 272 Strength from the Hills 273 Night 274 The Recall, or Soul Melody 276 The April Rain 277 Love Dead 279 MARY E. BROOKS Biographical Sketch 281 Oh, Weep Not for the Dead 281 The Lament of Judah 282 The Song of Captive Israel 282 Dream of Life 283 Song 284 LUCRETIA AND MARGARET DA- VIDSON Biographical Sketch 285 LUCRETIA To My Sister 289 Feats of Death 290 Morning 291 On the Motto of a Seal 292 MARGARET To My Sister Lucretia 292 ToDie, and be Forgotten. 294 On My Mother's Fiftieth Birthday 295 Twilight 296 SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH Biographical Sketch 297 The Huma 298 I Would Never Kneel 299 Stanzas : ••.• 300 The Fall of Warsaw 301 LYDIA JANE PEIRSON Biographical Sketch 303 Remembrance of Childhood 30? X!3 CONTENTS. Sing On ! 306 The Last Pale Flowers 308 Come to the Woods 309 The Bride of Heaven 311 Sunset in the Forest 311 ULIA H. SCOTT Biographical Sketch 313 My Child 313 Love in Absence 315 To 316 ANN S. STEPHENS Biographical Sketch 317 The Old Apple-Tree 317 Song 321 IJAROLINE M. SAWYER Biographical Sketch 322 Edith 322 The Boy and his Angel t>24 The Valley of Peace 32G CATHERINE H. ESLING Biographical Sketch 328 Brother, Come Home 328 How Shall I Woo Thee ? 330 He was our Father's Darling .... 331 LAURA M. THURSTON Biographical Sketch 332 The Green Hills of My Father- Land 333 The Sleeper 335 MARTHA DAY Biographical Sketch 336 Hymn 337 MARY ANN H. DODD Biographical Sketch 338 The Dreamer 338 Tho Mourner 340 MARY E. HEWITT r.iographical Sketch 342 Lament of Josephine 342 Alone 343 Bless Thee 344 The Last Chant of Corinne 345 Green Places in the City 346 The Ocean-Tide to the Ri^nilet . . 346 The Prayer of a Thirsting Heart. 347 Midnight on Marathon 348 ANNA PEYRE DINNIES Biographical Sketch 35(5 Happiness 35(1 Lines .....; iJ51 The Wife 352 Wedded Love. 353 To my Husband's First Gray Hair 355 Hope 356 Lines 357 ELIZABETH F. ELLET Biographical Sketch 358 Susquehanna '. 359 " Abide With Us" 362 The Dying Girl's Message. . , . . . 303 Sodus Bay 364 Lines 366 The Waves that on the Sparkling Sand 367 The Cloud where Sunbeams soft Repose 368 Like Southern Birds 309 O'er the far Mountain Peak on High 369 Sonnet 370 Sonnet 370 MARY N. M'DONALD Biographical Sketch 371 June 371 To Lizzie 3~5 The Spells of Memory 377 The Little Bird that told the Se- cret 379 FRANCES S. OSGOOD Biographical Sketch 381 Labour 382 Slander 383 The Life-Voyage " 385 ASong.... 389 A Song 3C0 Silent Love 391 " She Loves Him Yet" 391 Stanzas for Music 392 The Boy Painter 394 The Talisman 394 Little Children 397 To a Dear Little Truant 399 A Mother's Prayer in Illness 400 The Child Playing with a Watch 401 THE SISTERS OF THE WEST Biographical Sketch 402 A Valley of Virginia 40- CONTENTS. Xlll f.ines • • 404 The Palaces of Araby 40G Bury Her with Her Shining Hair. 408 MARIA LOWELL Biographical Sketch 409 Jesus and the Dove 410 Song 412 The Morning-Glory 413 >TARY L. SEWARD Biographical Sketch 415 Sympathy 415 Jesus' Night of Prayer 417 ANNE M. F. ANNAN Biographical Sketch 418 The Daughter of the Blind 419 Lf>aiSA S. M'CORD ' Biographical Sketch 420 Spirit of the Storm 421 'Tis but Thee, Love, only Thee. . 422 xVr C. CANFIELD Biographical Sketch 423 The Elector of Saxony at Augs- burg 423 AMANDA M. EDMOND Biographical Sketch 425 When is the Time to Die ? 428 The Greenwood Depths 427 HARRIETTE FANNING READ Biographical Sketch 429 Medea's Love 430 Medea's Revenge 433 ANNA CORA MOWATT Biographical Sketch. 435 Time 436 My Life 436 Love 437 lUCy HOOPER Biographical Sketch 438 " Time, Faith, Energy" 439 It is Well 441 The Old Days We Remember 443 Give Me Armour of Proof 444 EMILY E. JUDSON Biographical Sketch 446 My Bird 446 My Mother - 447 3 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH Biographical Sketch 449 . Wasted Fountains 45ft Sonnet 452 Sonnet 452 Sonnet 453 Sonnet 453 Sonnet 454 Sonnet 454 Day-Dawn in Italy 455 Books for the People . . .^. 457 Lines 458 Ode 459 The Wounded Vulture 460 SARAH C. EDGARTON MAYO Biographical Sketch 461 Be Firm 462 Thou art Formed to Guide Ambition 463 The Answered Prayer 463 MARY E. LEE Biographical Sketch * 46^j The Poets 466 Hast Thou Forgot Me ? 467 The Rainy Day 495 AMELIA B. WELBY Biographical Sketch 471 Musings 471 The Presence of God 474 The Freed Bird 476 My Sisters 478 The American Sword 480 Seventeen 482 JULIET H. CAMPBELL Biographical Sketch 454 Dreams 484 A Confession « . • . 486 Lines at Night ". 487 Tarpeia 483 SARAH J. CLARKE Biographical Sketch 490 Ariadne 491 Voices from the Old World 495 A Morning Ride 498 ALICE B. NEAL Biographical Sketch 500 Blind 501 There is No Such Word as Fail. . 507 XIV CONTENTS. Do Not Blame Me 508 Midnight, and Daybreak 509 The Church 510 E.JUSTINE BAYARD Biographical Sketch 511 A Funeral Chant for the Old Year 511 Music of Nature 513 Sonnet 515 Song 515 Error 516 Stanzas , 516 MARION H. RAND Biographical Sketch 519 Sympathy 519 Infancy 520 ANGELINA S. MUMFORD Biographical Sketch 522 Cheerful Content 522 To a Lady 524 HELEN W. IRVING Biographical Sketch 526 Love and Fame 526 MARGARET JUNKIN Biographical Sketch 528 Galileo before the Inquisition.,.. 528 MARY J. REED Biographical Sketch 530 Weary 530 Littie Children 531 " EDITH MAV ' Biographical Sketch 533 October Twilight 533 The Coloring of Happiness 535 Eolie 536 MARY L. LAWSON Biographical Sketch 538 A Daughter's Memory 538 The Haunted Heart. 540 ELIZA L. SPROAT Biographical Sketch . 542 Sunset after Rain 543 The Prisoner's Child 544 The Mother and Child 545 CATHERINE A. DQBOSE Biographic'hl Sketch 547 Wachulla -. . 548 ALICE AND PHEBE CAREY Biographical Sketch 553 ALICE The Broken Household 552 The True 3Ian 553 Visions of Light 555 PHEBE The Christian Woman 556 Light in Darkness 558 The Death Scene 55'J FEMALE POETS OP AMERICA. ANNE BRADSTREET. Anne Bradstreet, wife of Simon Bradstreet, governor of Massachu* setts colony, and daughter of Governor Thomas Dudley, was born at Northampton, England, in the year 1612. She was married at the S-ge of sixteen, and the following year came with her husband to this country. She died September 16th, 1672. Although "merrie old Englande" claims her birth-place, the honour of her poetical fame belongs to America; for we find her recorded as the earliest poet of New England, where she gained much celebrity by the spirit and power of her writings. Cotton Mather is warm in her praise, and declares that " her poems, divers times printed, have afforded a grateful entertainment unto, the ingenious, and a monu- ment for her memory beyond the stateliest marbles." The learned and excellent John Norton, of Ipswich, calls her " the mirror of her age, and the glory of her sex." That she must have been also a bright example to women, worthy of a close imitation, we cannot doubt; for we learn from the preface to the secjpnd edition of her poems, that she was as much loved for her gentleness, discretion, and domestic diligence, as she was admired for her genius, wit, and love of learn ing. The volume is pronounced to be " the work of a woman, honoured and esteemed where she lives, for her gracious demeanour, her emi- (15) IG ANNEBRADSTREET. lent parts, her pious conversation, her courteous disposition, her exaci diligence in her place, and discreet managing of her family occasions; and more than so, these poems are the fruit but of some few hours curtailed from her sleep, and other refreshijients." What a sweet and rare description of a woman of genius ! The contents of her book are curious : a Poejn upon the Four Eh' merits, the Four Humours in Man's Constitution, the Four Ages of Man, and the Four Seasons of the Year ; in these we are presented v/ith personifications of Fire, Air, Earth, and Water; Choler, Blood, Melancholy, and Phlegm; Childhood, Youth, Middle Age,* and Old Age; each of whom comes forth with an address in which its peculiai excellencies are depicted. Then follows a versified History of the Four Monarchies of the World; with divers other Pleasant and Serious Poems. The subjoined extracts are from a long poem entitled Contemplations, and prove Mrs. Bradstreet to have been a genuine poet. The slow, stately measure sb.e adopted, suits well the solemn majesty of her musing thoughts. FROM "contemplations." I WIST not what to wish, yet sure, thought ij If so much excellence abide below, How excellent is He, that dwells on high ! Whose power and beauty by his works we know. Sure He is goodness, wisdome, glory, light. That hath this under world so richly diglit : More heaven than earth was here, no winter and no nigflit Then on a stately oak I cast mine eye. Whose ruffling top the clouds seemed to aspire; How long since thou wast in thine infancy .^ • Thy strength, and stature, more thy years admire. Have hundred winters past since thou wast born .? Or thousand since th€>u brak'st thy shell of horn ? If so, all these as nought, eternity doth scorn. Then higher on the glistering sun i gazed. Whose beams were shaded by the leavie tree, ANNE BRADSTREET 17 Thfc. more I looked, the more I grew amazed. And softiy said, what glory 's like to thee ? Soul of this world, this Universe's eye, No wonder some made thee a deity ; Had I not better known, alas ! the same had I. Thou as a bridegroom from thy chamber rushest. And as a strong man joyes to run a race, The morn doth usher thee with smiles and blushes. The earth reflects her glances in thy face. Birds, insects, animals with vegetive, Thy heart from death and dulness doth revive, And in the darksome womb of fruitful nature dive. Art thou so full of glory, that no eye Hath strength thy shining rayes once to behold ? And is thy splendid throne erect so high, As to approach it can no earthly mould ? How full of glory then must thy Creator be, Who gave this bright light lustre unto thee ! Admired, adored for ever, be that Majesty. * * iij # -* Who thinks not oft upon the fathers' ages. Their long descent, how nephew's sons they «aw, The stany observations of those sages. And how their precepts to their sons were law; How Adam sighed to see his progeny Clothed all in his black sinful livery. Who neither guilt nor yet the punishment could ily. Our life compare we with their length of dayes, Who to the tenth of theirs doth now arrive r And though thus short, we shorten many wayes. Living so little while we are alive; In eating, drinking, sleeping, vain delight. So unawares comes on perpetual night, And puts all pleasures vain unto eternal flight. 2* . B i8 ANNEBRADSTREET. When I behold the heavens as in their prune, And then the earth (though old) still clad in green, The stones and trees, insensible of time, Nor age nor wrinkle on their front are seen ; If winter come, and greenness then do fade, A Spring returns, and they more youthfull made ; But man grows old, lies down, remains where once he 's laid. By birth more noble than those creatures all, Yet seems by nature and by custome cursed; ISTo sooner born, but grief and care make fall That state obliterate he had at first. Nor youth, nor strength, nor wisdom spring again. Nor habitations long their names retain, But in oblivion to the final day remain. Jf; J^ Jfe jf. Jf. Under the cooling shadow of a stately elm, Close sate I by a goodly river's side. Where gliding streams the rocks did overwhelm; A lonely place, with pleasures dignified. I once that loved the shady woods so well. Now thought the rivers did the trees excell. And if the sun would ever shine, there would I dwell. While on the stealing stream I fixt mine eye. Which to the longed-for Ocean held its course, I markt nor crooks nor rubs that there did lye Could hinder aught, but still augment its force ; O happy Flood, quoth I, that holdst thy race Till thou arrive at thy beloved place. Nor is it rocks or shoals that can obstruct thy pace. Nor is 't enough that thou alone mayst slide, But hundred brooks in thy cleer waves do meet, So hand in hand along w^ith thee they glide i To Thetis' house, where all embrace and greet .' ANNE BRAD STREET. 19 Thou Emblem, true of what I count the best, could I lead my Rivulets to rest, So may Ave press to that vast mansion, ever blest. Ye Fish which in this liquid region 'bide, That for each season have your habitation. Now salt, now fresh, where you think best to glide, To unknown coasts to give a visitation, In lakes and ponds you leave your numerous fry. So nature tauglit, and yet you know not why. You watry folk that know not your felicity. Look how the wantons frisk to taste the air. Then to the colder bottome straight they dive, Eftsoon to Neptune's glassie Hall repair To see what trade the great ones there do drive. Who forage o'er the spacious sea-green field. And take the trembling prey before it yield. Whose armour is their scales, their spreading fins theii shield. While musing thus with contemplation fed. And thousand fancies buzzing in my brain. The sweet-tongued Philomel percht o'er my head, And chanted forth a most melodious strain. Which rapt m,e so with wonder and delight, 1 judged my hearing better than my sight. And wisht me wings with her awhile to take my flight O merry Bird (said I) that fears no snares, That neither toyles nor hoards up in thy barn, Feels no sad thoughts, nor cruciating cares To gain more good, or shun w^hat might thee harm ; Thy cloaths ne'er wear, thy meat is everywhere, Thy bed a bough, thy drink the water cleer, Reminds not what is past, nor what's to come dost fear. 20 ANNEBRAD STREET. The dawning morn with songs thou dost prevent, Setts hundred notes unto thy feathered crew, So each one tunes his pretty instrument, And warbling out the old, bea^ns anew, And thus they pass their youth in summer season, Then follow thee into a better Re":ion Where winter 's never felt by that sweet airy legion. Man 's at the best a creature frail and vain, In knowledge ignorant, in strength but weak ; Subject to sorrows, losses, sickness, pain, - Each storm his state, his mind, his body break : From some of these he never finds cessation, But day or night, v.dthin, without, vexation, Troubles from foes, from friends, from dearest, near'si relation. fi And yet this sinfall creature, frail and vain, This himp of wretchedness, of sin and sorrov/. This weather-beaten vessel v/rackt with pain, Joyes not in hope of an eternal morrow : Nor all his losses, crosses and vexation, hi weight, in frequency and long duration. Can make him deeply groan for that divine Translation. The mariner that on smooth waves doth glide. Sings merrily, and steers his barque with ease, As if he had command of wind and tide. And now become great Master of the seas ; But suddenly a storm spoils all the sport. And makes him long for a more quiet port. Which 'gainst all adverse winds may serve for fort. So he that saileth in this world of pleasure, Feeding on sweets, that never bit of th' sowre. That's full of friends, of honour and of treasure, Fond fool, he takes this earth ev'n for heav'n's bower JANE T U R E L L - But sad affliction comes, and makes him see Here 's neither honour, wealth, nor safety ; Only above is found all with security. O Time ! the fatal wrack of mortal things, That draws oblivion's curtain over kings, Their sumptuous monuments, men know them not, Their names without a Record are forgot, Their parts, their ports, their pomp's all laid i' th' dust. Nor wit nor gold, nor buildings 'scape Time's rust ; But he whose name is graved in the white stone Shall last and shine, when all of these are gone. JANE TURELL. Ja.ne Turell was born in Boston, 1703. She was the only daughte of Dr. Benjamin Col man, a clergyman distinguished for his learning eloquence, and poetic taste, whose early life was varied by many stirring and romantic incidents. " After having taken his degree at Harvard Col lege, he embarked for London ; the vessel was captured by a French pri- vateer, and he with his companions were imprisoned at Nantz. At the expiration of two months, an exchange of prisoners took place between the English and French, and Mr. Colman was transported to Ports- mouth. From thence he went to London, and, not very long after, \vai> appointed to take charge of a church in Bath, where he formed an inti- mate acquaintance with Miss Singer, afterwards the celebrated Mrs. Eowe. On his return to his native country, he v/as settled over the Brattle Street Church, Boston ; in which station he remained till liis death, nearly half a century afterward. His daughter Jane early evinced a fondness for learning, and was encouraged by her father to pursue with indefatigable industry all lite- rary pursuits. In her nineteenth year she was married to the Rev Mr Turell, of Mcdford, a village near Boston. She had then read, ana 22 JANETURELL. Jioroughly understood, all the works of Divinity, History, and Philoso- ohy, to which she could gain access; and was regarded with great admiration by all who surrounded her for her superior attainments. She died at the age of twenty-seven, having, in her short life, " faithfully fulfilled all those duties which shed the brightest lustre upon woman's name; the duties of the friend: the daughter, the mother, and the wife." Her poems were collected in a pamphlet, and published by her hus- oand, immediately after her death. A PARAPHRASE OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH PSALM. As on the margin of Euphrates' flood We waiPd our sins, and mourn'd an angry God ; (For God provoked, to strangers gave our land, And by a righteous Judge condemned we stand ;) Deep were our groans, our griefs without compare,' With ardent cries we rent the yielding air. Borne down with woes, no friend at hand was found. No helper in the waste and barren ground : Only a mournful willow .wither'd there. Its aged arms by winter storms made bare ; On this our lyres, now useless grown, we hung, Our lyres by us forsaken, and unstrung ! We sigh'd in chains, and sunk beneath our wo, • Whilst more insulting our proud tyrants grow. From hearts oppress'd with grief they did require A sacred anthem on the sounding lyre ! Come now, they cry, regale us with a song. Music and mirth the fleeting hours prolong. Shall BabePs daughter hear that blessed sound ? Shall songs divine be sung on heathen ground } No, Heaven forbid that we should tune our voice. Or touch the lyre ! Whilst slaves we can't rejoice. O Palestina! our once dear abode. Thou once wert blessed with peace, and loved by God ; JANETURELL. 23 But iiow art desolate, a barren waste, Thy fruitful fields by thorns and weeds defacea. If I forget Judea's mournful land, May nothing prosper that I take in hand ! Or if I string the lyre, or tune my voice. Till thy deliverance cause me to rejoice ; O may my tongue forget her art to move, And may I never more my speech improve ! Return, O Lord! avenge us of our foes, Destroy the men that up against us rose : Let Edom's sons thy just displeasure know, And, like us, serve some foreign conquering foe In distant realms ; far from their native home. To which dear seat O let them never come ! Thou, Babel's daughter! author of our woe, Shalt feel the stroke of some revenging blow : Thy walls and towns be levelled with the ground, Sorrow and grief shall in each soul be found : Thrice blest the man who, that auspicious night, "Shall seize thy trembling infants in thy sight. Regardless of thy flowing tears and moans. And dash the tender babes against the stones.* * Her father says of this Paraphrase, " The serious melancholy Psalm is well turned in the most partsjaf it, considering your years and advan- tages for such a performance. You speak of a single withered willow which they hung their harps on ; but the Euphrates was covered with willows along the banks of it, so that it has been called the River of Willows. I hope, my dear, your lyre will not be hung on such a sorrowful shrub. Go on in sacred songs, and we'll hang it on the stately cedars of Lebanon. Or let the pleasant elm before the dooi where you are, suffice for you.*' 24 JANETURELL AN INVITATION INTO THE COUNTRY, IN IMITATION OF HORACE. From the soft shades, and from tl# balmy sweets Of Medford's flowery vales, and green retreats, Yom' absent Delia to her father sends. And prays to see him ere the summer ends. Now while the earth 's with beauteous verdure dyed, And Flora paints the meads in all her pride ; While laden trees Pomona's bounty own, And Ceres' treasures do the fields adorn, From the thick smokes, and noisy town, O come, And in these plains awhile forget your home. Though my small income never can afford, Like wealthy Celsus to regale a lord ; No ivory tables groan beneath the weight Of sumptuous dishes, served in massy plate : The forest ne'er was searched for food for me, Nor from my hounds the timorous hare does flee * No leaden thunder strikes the fowl in air. Nor from my shaft the winged death do fear : With silken nets I ne'er the lakes despoil, Nor v/ith my bait the larger fish beguile. No luscious sweetmeats, by ^my' servants plac'd In curious order e'er ray tables grac'd : To please the taste, no rich Burgundian wine, In crystal glasses on my sideboard shine ; The luscious sweets of fair Canary's isle Ne'er fill'd my casks, nor in my flagons smile , No wine, but what does from my apples How, My frugal house on any can bestow : Except wlien Ciesar's birthday does return, And joyful fires throughout the village burn; JANETURELL. 25 Then moderate each takes his cheerful glass, And our good wishes- to Augustus pass. But though rich dainties never spread my board; Nor my cool vaults Calabrian wines afford ; Yet what is neat and wholesome I can spread,-— My good fat bacon, and our homely bread, With which my healthful family is fed. Milk from the cow, and butter newly churn'd. And new fresh cheese, with curds and cream just turnM For a dessert upon my table 's seen The golden apple, and the melon green; The blushing peach, and glossy plum there lies. And with the mandrake tempt your hands and eyes. These I can give, and if you '11 here repair, To slake your thirst a cask of Autumn beer, ReservM on purpose for your drinking here. Under the spreading elms our limbs we'll lay, While fragrant zephyrs round our temples play; Retired from courts, and crowds, secure we'll sit And freely feed upon our country treat; No noisy faction here shall dare intrude, Or once disturb our peaceful solitude. No stately beds my humble roofs adorn. Of costly purple, by carved panthers borne; Nor can I boast Arabia's rich perfumes, Diffusing odors through our stately rooms. For me no fair Egyptian plies the loom, But my fine linen ail is made at home. Though I no down or tapestry can spread, A clean soft pillow shall support your head, Fill'd with the wool from off my tender sheep. On which with ease and safety you may sleep. The nightingale shrill lull you to your rest. And all be calm and still as is your breast a ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. The interesting subject of this notice was the daughter of Mr. Brandt Schuyler, and was born in New York, in 1752. She was married to John J. Bleecker, Esq., of New Rochelle, in 1769, and went to live at Poughkeepsie. From that place she soon removed to a village some distance above Albany, called Tomhanick, and spent several years of quiet domestic enjoyment amidst the wild scenes of this romantic spot. But in 1777, the approach of Burgoyne's army from Canada spread ter- ror and dismay through the back settlements in that quarter, and broke, for a time, the peaceful happiness of her home in the wilderness. Mr. Bleecker hastened to Albany to prepare a shelter for his family, and no sooner had he gone, than the fearful news was brought to Mrs. Bleecker, that the enemy was within two miles of the village, burning and killing all before him. She immediately started up, and, with a daughter clinging to each side, set off on foot, attended only by a young mulatto girl, leaving her house, and everything in it, a prey to the savages. After travelling, without being able to obtain any assistance, for more than five miles, she at length procured a seat for the children in a wagon, and walked on, herself, to the village of Stony Arabia ; where, with much difficulty, she found shelter in a garret. The next morning her husband met her as he was returning from Albany, whither they all pro- ceeded, and quickly set sail down the Hudson, intending to go to Red- Hook ; at which place they hoped for safety from the enemy. But on tlie voyage this poor lady was overtaken by a fiercer affliction, from the sword and flame of which there was no escaping. Her youngest daughter was taken so ill that they were forced to go on shore, and, soon after, she died. Mrs. Bleecker never recovered from this blow ; and though, after the capture of Burgoyne, she returned to her former home in the country, she could never regain her cheerfulness. She lived in peace, however, until one day in August, 1781 ; when a party of the enemy seized Mr. Bleecker and two of his men, while they were busy in the harvest-field, and carried them off pxisoners. After an absence of six days, during whicli time his wife endured all the sicken-i (26) ANN ELIZA ELEECKE &. 27 ing anguish of the most frightful suspense and conjecture, he was retaken by some Americans from Bennington, and returned home. Mrs. Bleecker visited her native city after the peace was concluded ; hut the havoc war had made among the scenes, and especially among the friends, of her early days, weighed so heavily on her spirits that she soon sank under it. She returned to her cottage at Torahaiiick, and died on the 23d of November, 1783, aged thirty-one. Her poems were published in 1793. They have no very marked characteristics ; they are occasionally sweet, generally mournful. Her biographer truly says, "Mrs. Bleecker's poetry is not of that high order which would sustain itself under any very bold attempt ; but the events of her life confer a degree of interest upon the few productions which she has left behind her. A female cultivating the elegant arts of re- fined society, at the ultima Thule of civilized life, in regions of savage wildness, and among scenes of alarm, desolation, and bloodshed, is a spectacle too striking not to fix our attention." EXTRACT FROM A POEM TO MR. BLEECKER, ON HIS PASSAGE TO NEW YORK. Methinks I see the broad majestic sheet Swell to the wind ; the flying shores retreat \ I see the banks, with varied foliage gay, Inhale the misty sun's reluctant ray; The lofty groves stripped of their verdure, rise To the inclemence of autumnal skies. Rough mountains now appear, while pendent woods Hang o'er the gloomy steep, and shade the floods ; Slow moves the vessel, while each distant sound The caverned echoes doubly loud rebound; A placid stream meanders on the steep. Till tumbling from the clifl", divides the frowning deep. Oh ! tempt not fate on those stupendous rocks. Where never shepherd led his timid flocks ; But shagged bears in those wild deserts stray. And wolves, who howl against the lunar ray ; There builds the ravenous hawk her lofty nest, And there the soaring eagle takes her rest; 28 ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. The solitary deer recoils to hear The torrent thundering in the midway air. Ah ! let me intercede, — ah! spare her breath, Nor aim the tube charged with a leaden death But now advancing- to the opening sea, The v/ind springs up, the lessening mountains flee ; The eastern banks are crowned with rural seats, And nature's work the hand of art completes. Here Philips' villa, where Pomona joins At once the product of a hundred climes; Here, tinged by Flora, Asian flowers unfold Their burnished leaves of vegetable gold. When snows descend^ and clouds tumultuous fly Through the blue medium of the crystal sky. Beneath his painted mimic heaven he roves Amidst the glass-encircled citron groves ; The grape and luscious fig his taste invite, Hesperian apples glow upon his sight; The sweet auriculas their bells display. And Philips finds in January, May. But on the other side the cliffs arise, Charybdis-like, and seem to prop the skies : How oft with admiration have we viewed Those adamantine barriers of the flood ! Yet still the vessel cleaves the liquid mead, The prospect dies, the aspiring rocks recede ; ^ew objects rush upon the wondering sight, fill Phoebus rolls from heaven his car of light, r\ iid Cynthia's silver crescent gilds the night, T hear the melting flute's melodious sound, \Vhich dying zephyrs waft alternate round, Tlie rocks in notes responsive soft complain. And think Amphion strikes his lyre again. Ah ! 'tis my Bleecker breathes our mutual loves, And sends the trembling airs through vocal groves. ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. 29 Thus having led you to the happy isle, Where waves circumfluent wash the fertile soil, Where Hudsonj meeting the Atlantic, roars, The parting lands dismiss him from their shores. Indulge the enthusiast muse her favourite strain Of panegyric, due to Eboracia's plain. There is no land where heaven her blessings pours In such abundance, as upon these shores ; With influence benign the planets rise, Pure is the ether, and serene the skies; With annual gold, kind Ceres decks the ground, And gushing springs dispense bland health around ; No lucid gems are here, or flaming ore. To tempt the hand of avarice and power; But -sun-burnt labour, with diurnal toil. Bids treasures rise from the obedient soil. And commerce calls the ships across the mam, For gold exchanging her superfluous grain; While concord, liberty, and jocund health. Sport with young pleasure 'mid the rm'al wealth. AN EVEPfING PROSPECT. Come, my Susan, quit your chamber. Greet the opening bloom of May, Let us up yon hillock clamber, And around the scene survey. See the sun is now descending, And projects his shadows far, And the bee her course is bending Homeward through the humid air. Mark the lizard just before us. Singing her unvaried strain, While the frog abrupt in chorus Deepens through the marshy plaiii^ 3* 30 ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. From yon grove the woodcock rises, Mark her progress by her notes, High in air her wing she poises, Then like lightning down she shoots. Now the whip-poor-will beginning, Clamorous on a pointed rail, Drowns the more melodious singing Of the catbird, thrush, and quail. Pensive Echo from the mountain Still repeats the sylvan sounds; And tHe crocus-bordered fountain With the splendid fly abounds. There the honey-suckle blooming. Reddens the capricious wave; Richer sweets, the air perfuming, Spicy Ceylon never gave. Cast your eyes beyond this meadow. Painted by a hand divine. And observe the ample shadow Of that solemn ridge of pine. Here a trickling rill depending. Glitters through the artless bower And the silver dew descending. Doubly radiates every flower. While I speak, the sun is vanished, All the gilded clouds are fled ; Music from the groves is banish'd, Noxious vapours round us spread. Rural toil is now suspended, Sleep invades the peasant's eyes ; Each diurnal task is ended. While soft Luna climbs the skies. ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. 31 Q-ueen of rest and meditation ! Through thy medium, I adore Him — the Author of creation. Infinite and boundless power! He now fills thy urn with glory, Transcript of immortal light; Lord! my spirit bows before thee, Lost in wonder and delight. LI]N"ES TO GRIEF. CoivjE Grief, and sing a solemn dirge Beneath this midnight shade ; From central darkness now emerge, And tread the lonely glade. This is the cheerless hour of night, For sorrow only made; When no intrusive rays of light, The silent gloom pervade. Though such the darkness of my soul, Not such the calmness there ; But waves of guilt tumultuous roll 'Midst billows of despair. Fallacious Pleasure's tinsel train My soul rejects with scorn ; if higher joys she. can't attain, She'd rather choose to mourn. For bliss superior she was made ; Or for extrem.e despair; l( pain awaits her past the dead^ Why should she triumph here? 32 ANNELIZABLEECKER. Tho' Reason points at good supreme, Yet Grace must lead us thence - Must wake us from this pleasing dreaiHj The idle joys of Sense. Surely I wish the blackest night Of Nature to remain, Till Christ arise with healing light, Then welcome day again. HYMN. (WRITTEN IN DESPONDENCY.) Jesus Christ! regard my anguish, ,0h! commiserate my pain; Bid ray soul no longer languish, Bid my spirit not complain. 'Tis my comfort thou'rt omniscient, All my griefs are known to thee, Saviour! thou art all sufficient, To relieve a wretch like m.e. Now thy clemency discover. Give my wounded soul repose. E'er my transient life is over, E'er my sorrowing eyelids close. By thy passion I conjure thee. By thy painful sweat of blood. Let my sighing come before thee. Seal my pardon now with God. RETURN TO TOMHANICK- Hail, happy shades ! though clad with heavy snows, At sight of you with joy my bosom glows ; ANN ELIZA BLEECKER. 33 Ye arching pines, that bow with 'every breeze, Ye poplars, elms, all hail! my well-known trees! And now my peaceful mansion strikes my eye, And now the tinkling rivulet I spy; My little garden, Flora, hast thou kept, And watch'd %.y pinks and lilies, while I wept ? Or has the grubbing swine, by furies led. The enclosure broke, and on my flowrets fed ? Ah me ! that spot with blooms so lately grac'd, With storms and driving snows, is now defaced; Sharp icicles from every bush depend. And frosts all dazzling o'er the beds extend : Yet soon fair spring shall give another scene. And yellow cowslips gild the level green; My little orchard sprouting at each bough. Fragrant with clustering blossoms deep shall glow : Ah ! then 't is sweet the tufted grass to tread. But sweeter slumbering is the balmy shade; The rapid humming-bird, with ruby breast. Seeks the parterre with early blue-bells drest, Drinks deep the honeysuckle dew, or drives The labouring bee to her domestic hives : Then shines the lupine bright with" morning gems, And sleepy poppies nod upon their stems; The humble violet, and the dulcet rose. The stately lily then, and tulip blows. Farewell, my Plutarch! farewell, pen and muse! Nature exults — shall I her call refuse? Apollo fervid glitters in my face. And threatens with his beam each feeble grace: Yet still around the lovely plants I toil. And draw obnoxious herbage from the soil; Or with the lime-twigs little birds surprise; Or angle for the trout of many dyes. 34 MARGARETTA V. FAUGEIIES. But when the vernal breezes pass away. And loftier Phoebus darts a fiercer ray, The spiky corn then rattles all around, And dashing cascades give a pleasing sound; Shrill sings the locust with prolonged note, The cricket chirps familiar in each cof? The village children, rambling o'er yon hill. With berries all their painted baskets fill. They rob the squiiTel's little walnut store. And climb the half-exhausted tree for more; Or else to fields of maze nocturnal hie, Where hid, the elusive water-melons lie ; Sportive, they make incisions in the rind, The riper from the immature to find; Then load their tender shoulders with the prey, And laughing, bear the bulky fruit away. MARGAEETTA Y. FAUGEEES, Daughter of Mrs. Bleecker. Her poems were published in the same volume with those of her mother ; • but far exceed them in force o/ expression, and originality of thought. THE HUDSON. Nile's beauteous waves, and Tiber's swelling tide Have been recorded by the hand of Fame, And various floods, which through earth's channels glide. From some enraptured bard have gained a name ; E'en Thames and Wye have been the poet's theme; And to their charms hath many a harp been strung ; Whilst oh! hoar genius of old Hudson's stream, Thy mighty river never hath been sung J MARGARETTA V. FAUGERES. 35 Say, shall a female siring her trembling lyre, And to thy praise devote the adventurous song? Fired with the theme, her genius shall aspire, And the notes sweeten as they float along. Where rough Ontario's restless waters roar. And hoarsely rave around the rocky shore ; Where their abode tremendous north winds make, And reign the tyrants of the surging lake; There, as the shell-crown'd genii of its caves. Toward proud Lawrence, urged their noisy waves, A form majestic from the flood arose ; A coral bandage sparkled o'er his brows, A purple mantle o'er his limbs was spread. And sportive breezes in his dark locks played; Toward the east shore his anxious eyes he cast, And from his ruby lips these accents passed; "O favoured land! indulgent nature yields Her choicest sweets to deck thy boundless fields; Where in thy verdant glooms the fleet deer play. And the hale tenants of the desert stray. While the tall evergreens that edge the dale. In silent majesty nod to each gale : Thy riches shall no more remain unknown, Thy wide campaign do I pronounce my own; And while the strong armed genii of this lake Their tributary streams to Lawrence take. Back from its source my current will I turn. And o'er thy meadows pour my copious urn." He said, and, waving high his dripping hand. Bade his clear waters roll toward the land. Glad they obeyed, and struggling to the shore. Dashed on its broken rocks with thundering roar; The rocks in vain oppose their furious course ; From each repulse they rise with tenfold force* And gathering all their angry powers again, Gush'd o'er the banks, and fled across the plain b MARGARETTA V. FAUGERES. Soon as the waves had pressed the level mead, Full many a pearly-footed Naiad fair, With hasty steps, her limpid fountain led, To swell the tide, and hail it welcome there; Their busy hands collect a thousand flowers, And scatter them along the grassy shores, There, bending low, the water-lilies bloom? And the blue crocus shed their moist perfume; There the tall velvet scarlet lark-spur, laves Her pale green stem in the pellucid waves ; There nods the fragile columbine, so fair. And the mild dewy wild-rose scents the air ; While round the trunk of some majestic pine The blushing honey-suckle's branches twine ; There too Pomona's richest gifts are found. Her golden melons press the fruitful ground; The glossy crimson plums there swell their rinds, And purple grapes dance to autumnal winds; While all beneath the mandrake's fragi-ant shade, The strawberry's delicious sweets are laid. ***** Through many a " blooming wild" and woodland green The Hudson's sleeping waters winding stray, Now 'mongst the hills its silvery waves are seen. And now through arching willows steal away: Then bursting on the enamoured sight once more. Gladden some happy peasant's rude retreat. And passing youthful Troy's commercial shore, With the hoarse Mohawk's roaring surges meet. Oh! beauteous Mohawk! wildered with thy charmSj The chilliest heart sinks into rapturous glows ; While the stern warrior, used to loud alarms, Starts at the thunderings of thy dread Cohoes! Now more majestic rolls the ample tide. Tail waving elms its clDvery borders shade, MARGARETTA V. FAUGERES. .3"? And many a stately dome, in ancient pride And hoary grandeur, there exalts its head. There trace the marks of culture's sunburnt hand, The honey'd buck-wheat's clustering blossoms view, Dripping rich odours, mark the beard-grain bland. The loaded orchard, and the flax-field blue. Albania's gothic spires now greet tiie eye ; Time's hand hath wiped their burnish'd tints away, And the rich fanes which sparkled to the sky, 'Reft of their splendours, mourn in cheerless grey. Low sunk between the Alleganian hills, For many a league the sullen w-aters glide, And the deep murmur of the crowded tide, With pleasing awe the wondering voyager fills. On the green summit of yon lofty clift, A peaceful runnel gurgles cleat and slow. Then down the craggy steep-side dashing swift, Tremendous falls in the white surge below. Here spreads a clovery lawn its verdure far. Around it mountains vast their forests rear, And long ere day hath left his burnish'd car, The dew^s of night have shed their odours there. There hangs a lowering rock across the deep ; Hoarse roar the waves its broken base around; Through its dark caverns noisy whirlwinds sweep. While Horror startles at the fearful sound. The shivering sails that cut the fluttering breeze. Glide through these winding rocks with airy sweeps, Beneath the cooling glooms of waving trees, And sloping pastures speck'd with fleecy sheep. A VERSION OF PART OF THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF JOB. As sighs the labourer for the cooling shade, When glowing sunbeams scorch the verdant blade; 4 38 MARGARETTA V. FAUGERES. Or as the hireling waits the scanty sum, By the , hard hand of painful labour won ; So waits my spirit with anxiety, Death's calm approach from woe to set me free; For oh ! my days are spent in vanity. And nights of sorrow are appointed me? I love not life, it is a burden grown ; , Distress and Care have claimed me for their o-wii, And pale Disease, with unrelenting hand. Sports with my sighs and casts them to the wind. In vain doth night return to bless these eyes, Sighing I say. Oh ! when shall I arise ? When will the night be gone ? Convulsed with pain. I raise my eyes to heaven for aid in vain ; My heart grows faint, and tossing to and fro I waste the lonely hours in sullen woe. Or if indeed ray eyes should chance to close — And weary nature gain a slight repose. Then am I scared with terrifying dreams. Wild shrieks I hear, and melancholy screams ; While hideous shapes crowd on my troubled sight, Adding new terrors to the gloom of night. Oh ! I 'm forlorn, in bitterness of soul My cries burst forth, like floods my sorrows roll f Forgot, abandoned, destitute, alone, No pitying ear inhales the heart-wrung groan; No friendly converse my sad spirit cheers, No feeling breast receives my bitter tears; Gone is each comfort, — hope itself is fled, — O that I rested with the quiet dead I No glimpse of good mine eyes again shall see, "Let me alone — my days are vanity!" PHILLISWHEATLEY. 39 ONAPAINTER. When Laura appeared, poor Apelles complain' d That his sight was bediram'd, and his optics much pain'd ; So his pallet and pencil the artist resign'd, Lest the blaze of her beauty should make him quite blind. But when fair Anne enter'd, the prospect was changed, The paints and the brushes in order were ranged ; The artist resumed his employment again, Forgetful of labour, and blindness, and pain ; And the strokes were so lively that all were assured What the brunette had injured the fair one had cured. Let the candid decide which the chaplet should wear, The charms which destroy, or the charms which repair. PHILLIS WHEATLEY May be regarded as a literary curiosity. She made so great a sen- Bation in her time, that we must not omit a notice of her in our history of American female poetry; although the specimens we give of her talents may not be considered so Wonderful as the sensation they caused. Phillis was stolen from Africa, at seven or eight years of age, carried to America, and sold in 1761, to John Wheatley, a rich merchant in Boston. She was so much loved by his family, for her amiable, modest manners, her exquisite sensibility, and ", extraordinary talents," that she was not only released from the labours usually devolv- ing on slaves, but entirely free also from the cares of the household. The literary characters of the day paid her much attention, supplied her with books, and encouraged with warm approbation all her intel- lectual efforts; while the best society of Boston received her as an equal. She was not only devoted to reading, and diligent in the study of the scriptures, but she made rapid proficiency in all learning ; under stood Latin, and commenced a translation, which was said to be very creditably done, of one of Ovid's tales. In 1772, when only nineteen, ehe published a volume of Poems on various subjects, moral and reli- 4.0 PHILLIS WHEATLEY. gious ; which ran through several editions in England, and in the United States. It was in England that they were first given to ihe world. Phillis was taken there on account of her health, which, al- ways delicate, became at this time so feeble as to alarm her friends. In 1775, she received her freedom, and two years afterwards she married a man of colour, who, in the superiority of his understanding, was also a kind of phenomenon. At first a grocer, in which business he failed, he ambitiously became a lawyer, and under the name of Dr. Peter, pleaded the cause of the negroes, before judiciary tribunals. The repu- tation he enjoyed procured him a fortune. He was, however, proud and indolent, and brought a good deal of unhappiness upon poor Phillis. Unfortunately, she had been a spoiled and petted child, and could not bear to turn her thoughts to household duties. Her husband required of her more than she could perform. At first he reproached, afterwards rebuked, and at last so harshly and cruelly distressed her, that she could bear it no longer, but died in 1780, literally of a broken heart. Peace be to her memory ! Doubtless she has proved long ago the truth of her own spirited couplet. Remember Christians, negroes, black as Cain, May be refined, and join the angelic train ! ON THE DEATH OP A YOUNG GENTLEBIAN OF GREAT PROMISE Who taught thee conflict with the powers of night, To vanquish Satan in the fields of fight ! Vfho strung thy feeble arms with might unknown } How great thy conquest, and how bright thy crown ! War with each princedom, throne, and power, is o'er ; The scene is ended, to return no more. Oh, could my muse thy seat on high behold, How decked with laurel, and enriched with gold! Oh, could she hear what praise thy harp employs, How sweet thy anthems, how divine thy joys ; What heaverfly grandeur should exalt her strain! What lively raptures in her members reign! To soothe the troubles of the mind to peace, To still the tumult of life's tossing seas, PHILLIS WHEAT4.EY. 41 To ease the anguish of the parent's heart, What shall my sympathizing verse impart ? Where is the balm to heal so deep a wound ? Where shall a sovereign remedy be found ? Look, gracious Spirit ! from thy heavenly bower, And thy full joys into their bosoms pour; The raging tempest of their griefs control. And spread the dawn of glory through the soul ! SLEEP. (from a poem on the providence of god.) As reason's powers by day our God disclose, So may we trace him in the night's repose. Say, what is sleep ? and dreams, how passing strange ! When action ceases, and ideas range Licentious and unbounded o'er the plains. Where fancy's queen in giddy triumph reigns. Hear in soft strains the dreaming lover sigh To a kind fair, or rave in jealousy; On pleasure now, and now on vengeance bent, The labouring jpassions struggle for a vent. What power, oh man ! thy reason then restores, So long suspended in nocturnal hours ? What secret hand returns the mental train. And gives improved thine active powers again.? From thee, oh man ! what gratitude should rise ? And when from balmy sleep thou op'st thine eyes. Let thy first thoughts be praises to the skies. How merciful our God, who thus imparts O'erflowing tides of joy to human hearts, When wants and woes might be our righteous lot. Our God forgetting, by our God forgot! 4* MERCY WARREN. Mrs. Warren was the daughter of James Otis, of Barnstable, ami tnc wife of General James Warren of Plymouth, both of whom were cele- brated in the political history of Massachusetts. She was a skilful and industrious writer both of prose and verse; attempting and achiev- ing great subjects, with a boldness and ease that prove her mind to have been of no ordinary stamp. The station and character of her tathei and husband,, procured her a wide acquaintance with the greatest men of her time; not only those distinguished for their practical patriotism in the revolutionary war, but those who were famous for their learning and talent She well knew how to appreciate the honour, and improve the advantage, of such a noble acquaintance ; a proof of which, is her History of the American Revolution. Before this, however, her talents as an author were made extensively known by two political works from her bold pen,— The Adulator^ and The Group. In 1790, she published a volume of Poems, containing two tragedies, The Sack oj Rome^ and The Ladies of Castile, loith several Miscellaneous Pieces. She died in 1814. EXTRACT FROM A POLITICAL REVERIiS (JANUAKY 1774.) Let Grecian bards, and Roman poets tell. How Hector fought, and how old Priam fell; Paint armies ravaging the Ilian coast, Show fields of blood, and mighty battles lost; Let mad Cassandra with dishevelled hair, With streaming eyes, and frantic bosom bare, Tell dark presages, and ill-boding dreams. Of murder, rapine, and the solemn themes Of slaughter'd cities, and their sinking spires. By Grecian rage wrapp'd in avenging fires; (42^ MERCYWARREN. 43 * To bolder pens I leave the tragic tale, While some kind muse from Tempe's gentle vale, With softer symphony shall touch the string. And happier tidings from Parnassus bring. Not Caesar's name, nor Philip's bolder son. Who sigh'd and wept, when he'd one world undone; Who dropp'd a tear, though not from pity's source, But grief, to find some bound to brutal force, Shall tune my harp, or touch the warbling string; No bold destroyer of mankind I sing; These plunderers of men I greatly scorn. And dream of nations, empires yet unborn. i look with rapture at the distant dawn, And view the glories of the opening morn; When justice holds his sceptre o'er the land, And rescues freedom from a tyrant's hand; When patriot states in laurel crowns may rise. And ancient kingdoms court them as allies ; Glory and valour shall be here display 'd. And virtue rear her long dejected head; Her standard plant beneath these gladden'd skies, Her fame extend, and arts and science rise; While Empire's lofty spreading sails unfurl'd. Roll swiftly on towards the western world? Long she's forsook her Asiatic throne. And leaving Afric's barb'rous burning zone. On the broad ruins of Rome's haughty pov/er, Erected ramparts round . fair Europe's shore : But in those blasted climes no more presides, She o'er the vast Atlantic surges rides. Visits Columbia's r'stant fertile plains, Where Liberty, a happy goddess, reigns. 44 MERCYWARREJS. No despot here 'shall rule v/ith awful sway, Nor orphan's spoils become the minion's prey , No more the widow'd bleeding bosom mourns, Nor injured cities weep their slaughter'd sons; For then each tyrant, by the hand of fate. And standing troops, the bane of every state, For ever spurn'd, shall be removed as far As bright Hesperus from the polar star ; Freedom and virtue shall united reign, And stretch their empire o'er the wide domain ; On a broad base the commonwealth shall stand, When lawless power withdraws its impious hand, When crowns and sceptres are grown useless. things, Nor petty praetors plunder here for kings. Then bless'd Religion in her purest forms. Beyond the reach of persecuting storms. In purest azure gracefully arranged. In native majesty shall stand display'd. Till courts revere her ever sacred shrine, And nobles feel her influence divine ; Princes and peasants catch the glorious flame, And lisping infants praise Jehovah's name! TO AN AMIABLE FRIEND MOURNING THB DEATH or AN EXCELLENT FATHER. Let deep dejection hide her pallid face, And from thy breast each painful image rase ; Forbid thy lip to utter one complaint. But view the glories of the rising saint. Ripe for a crown, and waiting the reward Of w^atching long the vineyard of the Lord. The generous purpose of his zealous heart. Truth to enforce, and knowledge to impart, MERCYWARREN. 45 Insures his welcome on the unknown shore, Where choirs of saints, and angel forms adore. A seraph met him on the trackless way, And strung his harp to join the heavenly lay. Complain no more of Death's extensive power, Whose sceptre wafts us to some blissful shore; Where the rough billows that roll o'er the head, That shake the frame, and fill the mind with dread, Are hush'd in silence, and the soul serene Looks back delighted on the closing scene. Happy, thrice happy, that exalted mind. Who, leaving earth and all its cares behind, Has not a wish to ruffle or control The equal temper of his tranquil soul. Who, on a retrospect, is safe within; No private passion, nor a darling sin. Can check his hope, when death's insatiate powV, Stands hovering on the last decisive hour. Then weep no more, my friend, but all resigned. Submit thy will to the Eternal Mind, Who watches o'er the movements of the just, And will again reanimate the dust ! Thy sire commands, suppress the rising sigh, He wipes the tear from thy too filial eye, And bids thee contemplate a soul set free, Just safe escaped from life's tempestuoiis soa. SARAH PORTER Published at Concord in 1791, a small volume containing The Royal penitent^ and David's lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. The ex- trad we give is from the first of these poems, where David's remorse foi I'is sin is awakened by sorrow for the death of his child. Tflr ROYAL penitent's SELF-IMPRECATION Accursed for ever be the hated day, That led my soul from innocence astray ; O may the stars on that detested hour Shed all their influence with malignant power; Darkness and sorrow jointly hold their reign, When time, revolving, brings it round again ! Ye injured ghosts ! break from the silent tomb, In all the fearful pomp of horror come, Breathe out your woes, and hail the dreadful gloom ' Why does not injured Israel now arise. Proclaim my madness to the avenging skies, I Hurl quick the sceptre from my bloody hand, While marks of infamy my forehead brand ? No time shall e'er the dreadful act conceal — No tongue shall fail its horrors to reveal; Eternity upon its strongest wing. Shall bear the deed whence all my sorrows spring. GRANDEUR FAILS TO GIVE CONTENT. A GLITTERING crowu ! thou poor fantastic thing ! What solid satisfaction canst thou bring ? Once, far removed from all the toils of state. In groves I slept, — no guards around me wait; (46) SARAH PORTER. Oh ! how delicious was the calm retreat I Sweet groves ! with birds and various flowers stored. Where nature furnished out my frugal board; The pure and unstained spring my thirst allayed ; No poisoned draught, in golden cups conveyed, Was there to dread ! Return, ye happy hours. Ye verdant shades, kind nature's pleasing bowers — Inglorious solitude, again return. And heal the breast with pain and anguish torn ! Oh, sweet content ! unknown to pomp and kings, The humble rest beneath thy downy wings; The lowly cottage is thy loved retreat, — In vain, thou 'rt courted by the rich and great ; — In vain, the miser seeks thee in his gold — In vain, each day the glittering store Is told ; Thou art not there ; in vain the ambitious sigh, And seek the joys that still before them fly ! The merchant's ship all treasure brings but thee, -— You from his anxious bosom ever flee; For thee, the sailor tempts the boist'rous main, And hopes to find thee in his dear-bought gain; For thee, the hero mounts his iron car, And hopes to find thee when returned from war. Their hopes are vain : who wish with thee to dwell Must seek the rural shade, or lonely cell; The gods themselves delight in verdant groves, And shield from harm the innocence they love. SAEAH WENTWORTH MORTON. About fifty years ago, when authoresses were not so numerous as they now are, this lady was ranked among the first American female writers. She published her verses under the name of Philenia, and, during the early part of her life, wrote very industriously. In 1823, she sent forth her only volume, called My mind and its Thoughts^ a collection of articles in prose and verse. Mrs. Morton v/as born in Boston. Her husband was the Hon. Percy Morton, Attorney Generd of Massachusetts. THE AFRICAN CHIEF. See how the black ship cleaves the main, , High bounding o'er the dark blue wave, Reinurmuring with the groans of pain, Deep freighted witlf the princely slave ! Did all the gods of Afric sleep, Forgetful of their guardian love, When the white tyrants of the deep, Betray'd him in the palmy grove? A chief of Gambia's golden shore, Whose arm the band of warriors led ; Or more — the lord of generous power. By whom the foodless poor were fed. Does not the voice of reason cry, " Claim the first right that nature gave, From the red scourge of bondage fly, Nor deign to live a burden'd slave ?" (48 SARAH WENTWORTH MORTON. 49 Has not his suffering offspring clung, Desponding, round his fetter'd knee ; On his worn shoulder, weeping hung, And urged one effort to be free ? His wife by nameless wrongs subdued. His bosom's friend to death resign'd; The flinty path-way drench'd in blood; He saw with cold and frenzied mind. Strong in despair, he sought the plain, To heaven was raised his steadfast eye^ Resolved to burst the crushing chain, Or 'mid the battle's bl^st, to die. First of his race, he led the band, Guardless of danger, hurtling round. Till by his red avenging hand. Full many a despot stained the ground. When erst Messenia's sons oppress'd. Flew desperate to the sanguine field. With iron clothed each injured breast, And saw the cruel Spartan yield. Did not the soul to heaven allied. With the proud heart as greatly swelU As when the Roman Decius died, Or when the Grecian victim fell ? Do later deeds quick rapture raise, The boon Batavia's William won, Paoli's time-enduring praise. Or the yet greater Washington? If these exalt thy sacred zeal, To hate oppression's mad control. For bleeding Afric learn to feel. Whose chieftain claimed a kindred soiiJ« 50 MRS. LITTLE. Oh! mourn the last disastrous hour. Lift the full eye of bootless grief, While victory treads the sultry shore, And tears from hope the captive chief. While the hard race of pallid hue, Unpractised in the power to feel, Resign him to the murderous crew, The horrors of the quivering wheel. Let sorrow bathe each blushing cheek, Bend piteous o'er the tortured slave, Whose wrongs compassion cannot speak. Whose only refuge was the grave. MRS. LITTLE Was a native of Rhode Island, and a daughter of the Hon. Ashui Robbins of Massachusetts. She wrote under the signature of Rowena^ some twenty or thirty years ago. The poem we give at length is one full of poetical excellence ; although without any pretensions to depth of thought, or brilliancy of imagination. It is a sketch from nature, easily, truthfully, happily drawn. Yet not a sketch only may it be called ; for there are many pictures^ of domestic comfort, health, happi- ness, and contentment, most refreshing to contemplate, in these charm- ing lines on New England's favourite festival day. THANKSGIVING. It is thanksgiving morn — 'tis cold and clear; The bells for church ring forth a merry sound; The maidens in their gaudy winter gear, Rival the many-tinted woods around j MRS. LITTLE. 51 The rosy children skip along the ground, Save where the matron reins their eager pace. Pointing to him, who, wdth a look profound. Moves with his -people' toward the sacred place, Where duly he bestows the manna crumbs of grace Of the deep learning in the schools of yore The reverend pastor hath a golden stock : Yet, with a vain display of useless lore Or sapless doctrine, never will he mock The better cravings of his simple flock ; But faithfully their liumble shepherd guides Where streams eternal gush from Calvary's rock; For well he knows, not learning's purest tides Can quench the immortal thirst that in the soul abides. The anthem swells ; the heart's high thanks are given : Then, mildly as the dews on Hermon fall. Begins the holy minister of heaven. And though not his the burning zeal of Paul, Yet a persuasive power is in his call ; So earnest, yet so kindly, is his mood, So tenderly he longs to save them all, jSTo bird more fondly flutters o'er her brood, When the dark vulture screams above their native wood. " For all His bounties, dearest charge," He cries, " Your hearts are the best thanks ; no more refrain ; Your yielded hearts he asks in sacrifice, Almighty lover! shalt thou love in vain. And vainly woo thy wand'rers home again ? How thy soft mercy with the sinner pleads ! Behold! thy harvest loads the ample plain; And the same goodness lives in all thy deeds, From the least drop of rain, to those that Jesus bleeds.'" 62 MRS.HTTLE. Much more he spake, with growing ardour fired; Oh ! that my lay were worthy to record The moving eloquence his theme inspired! For, like a free and copious stream, out-poured His love to man, and man's indulgent Lord. All were subdued ; the stoutest, sternest men. Heart-melted, hung on every precious word : And as he uttered forth his full amen, A thousand mingling sobs re-echoed it again. Behold that ancient house on yonder lawn. Close by whose rustic porch an elm is seen : Lo ! now has past the service of the morn A joyous group are hastening o'er the green. Led by an aged sire of gracious mien, Whose gay descendants are all met, to hold Their glad thanksgiving, in that sylvan scene. That once enclosed them in one happy fold. Ere waves of time and change had o'er them roll'd The hospitable doors are open thrown ; The bright wood-fire burns cheerly in the hall; And, gathering in, a busy hum makes known The spirit of free mirth that moves them all. There, a youth hears a lovely cousin's call. And flies alertly to unclasp the cloak ; And she, the while, with merry laugh lets fall Upon his awkwardness some lively joke. Not pitying the blush her bantering has woke. And there the grandam sits, in placid ease, A gentle brightness o'er her features spread; Her children's children cluster round her knees, Or on her bosom fondly rest their head. Oh! happy sight, to see such blossoms shed . MRS. LITTLE. 53 Their sweet young fragrance o'er such aged tree ! How vain to say, that, when short youth has fled, Our dearest of enjoyments cease to be ; When hoary eld is loved but the more tenderly. And there the manly farmers scan the news; (Strong is their sense, though plain the garb it wears ;^ Or, while their pipes a -lulling smoke diffuse. They look important from their elbow-chairs. And gi-avely ponder on the nation's cares. The matrons of the morning sermon speak. And each its passing excellence declares ; While tears of pious rapture, pure and meek, Course in soft beauty down the Christian mother's cheek. Then, just at one, the full thanksgiving feast. Rich with the bounties of the closing year. Is spread ; and, from the greatest to the least. All crowd the table, and enjoy the cheer. The list of dainties will not now appear; Save one I cannot pass unheeded by. One dish, already to the muses dear. One dish, that wakens memory's longing sigh- — The genuine, far-famed, Yankee pumpkin pie ! Who e'er has seen thee in thy flaky crust Display the yellow richness of thy breast, But, as the sight awoke his keenest gust, Has own'd thee, of all cates the choicest, best ? Ambrosia were a fool, to thee compared. E'en by the ruby hand of Hebe drest; Thee, pumpkin pie, by country maids prepared, With their white rounded arms above the elbow bared. Now to the kitchen come a vagrant train. The plenteous fragments of the feast to share. The old lame fiddler wakes a merry strain. For his mull'd cider and his pleasant fare, 5* 64 MRS. LITTLE. Reclining in that ancient wicker chair ; A veteran soldier he, of those proud times When first our freedom's banner kissed the air: His battles oft he sings in untaught rhymes, When wakening memory his aged heart sublimes. But who is this, whose scarlet cloak has known Full oft the pelting of the winter storm ? Through its fringed hood a strong wild face is shown. Tall, gaunt, and bent with years, the beldam's form*, There 's none of all these youth with vigour warm, Who dare by slightest word her anger stir. So dark the frown that does her face deform, That half the frighted villagers aver, The very de'il himself, incarnate is in her. Yet now the sibyl wears her mildest mood ; And round her see the anxious silent band. Falls from her straggling locks the antique hood. As close she peers in that fair maiden's hand, Who scarce the struggles in her heart can stand. Affection's strength has made her nature v/eak. She of her lovely looks hath lost command ; The flecker'd red and white within her cheek — Oh, all her love it doth most eloquently speak ! Thy doting faith, fond maid, might envied be, And half excused the superstitious art. Now, when the sibyl's mystic words to thee The happier fortunes of thy love impart. Thrilling thy soul in its most vital part. How does the throb of inward ecstasy Send the luxuriant blushes from thy heart All o'er thy varying cheek ; like some clear sea, Where the red morning-glow falls full, but tremblingly! M R S . L I T T L E . 55 'T is evening ; and the rural ball begins ; The fairy call of music all obey; The circles round domestic hearths grow thin; All, at the joyful signal, hie away To yonder hall with lights and garlands gay. There, with elastic step, young belies are seen Entering, all conscious of their coming sway : Not oft their fancies underrate, I ween. The spoils and glories of this festal scene. New England's daughters need not envy those Who in a monarch's court their jewels wear ; More lovely they, when but a simple rose Glows through the golden clusters of their hair. Could light of diamonds make her look more fair, Who moves in beauty through the mazy dance, With buoyant feet that seem'd to skim the air, And eyes that speak in each impassion'd glance The poetry of youth, love's sweet and short romance. He thinks not so, that young enamour'd boy, Who through the dance her graceful steps doth guide, While his heart swells with the deep pulse of joy. Oh ! no ; by nature taught, unlearnt in pride, ile sees her in her loveliness array'd, All blushing for the love she cannot hide; And feels that gaudy art could only shade The brightness nature gave to his unrivall'd maid. Gay bands, move on, your draught of pleasure quaff; I love to listen to your joyous din. The lad's light joke, the maiden^s mellow laugh, And the brisk music of the violin. How blithe to see the sprightly dance be'gin ! Kntwining hands, they seem to float along. With native rustic grace that well might win 66 MRS. LITTLE. The happiest praises of a sweeter song. From a more gifted lyre than doth to me belong. While these enjoy the mirth that suits their years, Round the home-fires their peaceful elders meet; A gentler mirth their friendly converse cheers, And yet, though calm their pleasures, they are sweet. Through the cold shadows of the autumn day Oft breaks the sunshine with as genial heat. As o'er the soft and sapphire skies of May, Though nature then be young, and exquisitely gay. On the white wings of peace their days have flown, JNTor wholly were they thrall'd by earthly cares ; But from their hearts to heaven's paternal throne Arose the daily incense of their prayers. And now, as low the sun of being wears, The- God to whom their morning vows were paid, Each grateful offering in remembrance bears ; — And cheering beams of mercy are display'd, To gild with heavenly hopes their evening's pensive shade. But now, farewell to thee, thanksgiving day ! Thou angel of the year! One bounteous hand The horn of deep abundance doth display. Raining its rich profusion o'er the land; The other arm, outstretch'd with gesture grand. Pointing its upraised finger to the sky, Doth the warm tribute of our thanks demand, Fof Him, the Father God, who from on high Sheds gleams of purest joy o'er man's dark destiny. MARIA A. BROOKS, Known in the literary world as Maria del Occidente, was a descend' ant of an ancient Welsh family of the name of Gowan, and was born in Medford, near Boston, 1795. The remarkable genius, which has v/on for her such a lofty reputation, showed itself at a very early age. The finest passages in Milton and Shakspeare were treasured in her memo-' ry before she was eight years old ; and she soon obtained a thorough acquaintance with all tlie best English authors. By the time she was twelve, she had acquired an exquisite skill in music and painting, and could converse easily in many of the modern languages. Besides these accomplishments, she had an unusually familiar knowledge of the lite- rature of olden times, the ancient fathers, and Oriental writers, the classic poets, and histories and fables of Greece and Rome. She was betrothed at fourteen, and married, as soon as her education was finish- ed, to Mr. Brooks, a merchant of Boston. Her first publication appeared in 1820, called Judith, Esther, and other Poems, by a lover of the Fine Arts ; which was highly praised in some of the English, as well as American journals. Her husband died in 1821 ; and soon after his death Mrs. Brooks went to live in Cuba. This was her favourite place of residence ; she visited Europe, and afterwards lived several years at West Point, (in the vicinity of the military academy, where one of her sons was educated ;) but always returned with peculiar satisfaction to her southern home. The warmth of the climate and luxuriance of its vegetation, suited well her poetical temperament; their influence may be seen in all her productions. The poem upon which the fame of Mrs. Brooks principally rests, which led Southey to designate her as " the most impassioned and most imagina- tive of all poetesses," is Zophiel ,• or, the Bride of Seven, finished in 1831. It is indeed a curious work of genius; containing passages full of vigour, warmth and brilliancy. Many of her descriptions glow before your eyes like the rich painting of a master's hand ; where, the longer you look, the more beauty you discover; finding, even in the darkest shadows, forms instinct with life and expression. The story is one that cannot attract much interest, or elicit much sympathy ; but the fine thoughts scattered throughout amply reward those who read it through , (57) 58 MARIAA. BROOKS. carefully winding their way through the somewhat intricate maze ol elisions, and inversions, and hard proper names. The extracts we have selected, however, almost belie the censure, while they more than jus- tify the praise. The Notes to this poem are full of curious information, and more in- teresting than the poem itself. She tells us that " some of them were written in Cuba, some in Canada, some at Hanover, U. S., some at Paris, and the last at Keswick, England, under the kind encouragement of Robert Sou they, Esq. ; and near a window which overlooks the beau- tiful lake Derwent, and the finest groups of those mountains which en- circle completely that charming valley Vv^here the Greta winds over its bed of clean pebbles, looking as clear as dew." Mrs. Brooks wrote a prose romance, entitled Idomeii, or the Vale of Yumuri, which was published in 1843. This was among the latest productions of her crea- tive mind ; for at the close of 1845, she died on her estate in the island of Cuba. DESCRIPTION OF EGLA. (from zophiel.) Blest were those days! Can these dull ages boast Aught to compare } though now no more beguile, Chain'd in their darkling depths, the infernal host ; Who would not brave a fiend to share an angel's smile? tD^ 'T was then there lived a captive Hebrew pair ; In woe the embraces of their youth had past; And blest theii* paler years one daughter; fair She flourish'd, like a lonely rose, the last And loveliest of her line. The tear of joy, The early love of song, the sigh that broke From her young lip, the best beloved employ; What womanhood disclosed, in infancy bespoke A child of passion : tenderest and best Of all that heart has inly loved and felt, Adorned the fair enclosure of her breast : Where passion is not found, no virtue ever dwelt. MARIA-A. BROOKS. 59 Yet, not perverted, would my words imply The impulse given by Heaven's great Artisan Alike to man and worm, mere spring, whereby The distant wheels of life, while time endures, roll on But the collective attributes that fill. About the soul, their all-important place ; That feed her fires, empower her fainting will, And write the God on feeble mortal's face. Yet anger or revenge, envy or hate, The damsel knew not : when her bosom burned And injury darken'd the decrees of fate. She had more piteous sigh'd to see that pain return'd. Or if, perchance, though form'd most just and pure^ Amid their virtue's wild luxuriance hid, Such genns, all mortal bosoms must immure Which sometimes show their poisonous heads, unbijd, — If, haply such the fair Judean finds, Self-knowledge wept the abasing truth to know; And innate Pride, that queen of noble minds, Crush'd them indignant ere a bud could grow. And such, even now, in earliest youth are seen; But would they live, with armour more deform Their breasts made soft by too much love must screen: — " The bird that sweetest sings can least endure the storm." And yet, despite of all, the starting tear. The melting tone, the blood suffusive, proved, The soul that in them spoke could spurn at fear Of death or danger ; and had those she loved Required it at their need, she could have stood, Unmoved, as some fair-sculptured statue, while The dome that guards it earth's convulsions rude Are shivering, meeting ruin with a smile. 60 MARIA A. BROOKS. And this at intervals in language bright Told her blue eyes; though oft the tender lifj Droop'd like a noon-day lily, languid, white. And trembling, all save love and lustre hid; Then, as young christian bard had sung, they seem'd Like some Madonna in his soul, so sainted ; But opening in their energy they beam'd As tasteful Grecians their Minerva painted ; While o'er her graceful shoulder's milky swell, Silky as those on little children seen, Yet thick as Indian fleece her ringlets fell, Nor own'd Pactolus' sands a brighter sheen egla'sbow^er. (from the same.) Acacias here inclined Their friendly heads in thick profusion, planted. And with a thousand tendrils clasp'd and twined; And when at fervid noon all nature panted, Enwoven with their boughs, "a fragrant bower Inviting rest its mossy pillow flung; And here the full cerulean passion-flower, Climbing among the leaves, its mystic symbols hun| AiUd, though the sun had gained his utmost height, • Just as he oped its vivid folds at dawn, Look'd still, that tenderest, frailest child of light, By shepherds named " the glory of the morn." Sweet flower, thou 'rt lovelier even than the rose : The rose is pleasure, — felt and known as such — Soon past, but real, — tasted, while it glows; But thou, too bright and pure for mortal touch, MARIAA. BROOKS. 6 1 Art like those bj-illiant things we never taste Or see, unless with Fancy's lip and eye, When maddened by her mystic spells, we waste Life on a thought, and rob reality. Here, too, the lily raised its snow-white head ; And myrtle leaves, like friendship, when sincere. Most sweet when wounded, all around were spread j And though from noon's fierce heat the wild deer fled, A soft warm twilight reign'd impervious here. Tranquil and lone in such a light to be. How sweet to sense and soul ! the form recline Forgets it e'er felt pain ; and Reverie, Sweet mother of the muses, heart and soul are thine! AMBITION. (FROM THE SAME.) Woe to thee, wild ambition ! I employ Despair's low notes thy dread effects to tell; Born in high Heaven, her peace thou couldst destroy ; And, but for thee, there had not been a Hell. Through the celestial domes thy clarion peal'd ; Angels, entranced, beneath thy banners ranged. And straight were fiends; hurl'd from the shrinking field They waked in agony to wail the change. Darting through all her veins the subtle fire. The world's fair mistress first inhaled thy breath ; To lot of higher beings learnt to aspire ; Dared to attempt, and doom'd the world to death. The thousand wild desires, that still torment The fiercely struggling soul, where peace once dwelt. But perish'd ; feverish hope ; drear discontent, Impoisonina^ all possest, — Oh! I have felt 6 62 MARIAA. BROOKS. As spirits feel, — yet not for man we« mourn, Scarce o'er the silly bird in state were he, That builds his nest, loves, sings the morn's return, And sleeps at evening; save by aid of thee. Fame ne'er had roused, nor song her records kept, The gem, the ore, the marble breathing life, The pencil's colours, all in earth had slept, Now see them mark with death his victim's strife. Man found thee : but Death and dull decay. Baffling, by aid of thee, his mastery proves ; By mighty works he swells his narrow day. And reigns, for ages, on the world he loves. Yet what the price ? With stings that never cease Thou goad'st him on ; and when too keen the smart, His highest dole he'd barter but for peace. Food thou wilt have, or feast upon his heart. THE OBEDIENT LOVE OF WOMAN HER HIGH ESI BLISS. (FROM THE SAME.) What bliss for her who lives her little day. In blest obedience, like to those divine, Who to her loved, her earthly lord can say, ' God is thy law,' most just, ' and thou art mine.' To every blast she bends in beauty meek; — Let the storm beat, — his arms her shelter kind, — And feels no need to blanch her rosy cheek With thoughts befitting his superior mind. Who only sorrows when she sees him pain'd. Then knows to pluck away pain's keenest dart; Or bid love catch it ere its goal be gain'd, And steal its venom ere it reach his heart. MARIAA. BROOKS 63 'T is tlic soul's food : — the fervid must adore. — For this the heathen, unsufficed with thought, Moulds him an idol of the glittering ore, And shrines his smiling goddess, marble- wrought What bliss for her, ev'n in this world of woe. Oh! Sire, who mak'st yon orb-strewn arch thy throne, That sees thee in thy noblest work below Shine undefaced, adored, and all her own ! This I had hoped; but hope too dear, too great, Go to thy grave! — I feel thee blasted, now. Give me, fate's sovereign, well to bear the fate Thy pleasure sends ; this, my sole prayer, allov/ 1 zophiel's offerings to egla. (from the same.) Then, lowly bending, with seraphic grace. The vase he profTer'd full ; and not a gem Drawn forth successive from its sparkling place.^ But put to shame the Persiati diadem. While he, "Nay, let me o'er thy v/hite arms bind These orient pearls, less smootl^ Egla, for thee, (My thrilling substance pained by storm and wind,) I sought them in the caverns of the sea. ' Look ! here 's a ruby ; drinking solar rays, I saw it redden on a mountain tip ; Now on thy snowy bosom let it blaze; 'T will blush still deeper to behold thy lip. " Here 's for thy hair a garland ; every flower That spreads its blossoms, water'd by the tear Of the sad slave in Babylonian bower, Might see its frail bright hues perpetuate here. 64 MARIAA. BROOKS. "For morn's light bell, this changeful amethyst; A sapphire for the violet's tender blue; Large opals, for the queen-rose zephyr-kist; And here are emeralds of every hue, For folded. bud and leaflet, dropp'd with dew. "And here's a diamond, cull'd from Indian mine, To gift a haughty queen! It might not be; I knew a worthier brow, sister divine. And brought the gem ; for well I deem, for thee "The 'arch-chymic sun' in earth's dark bosom wrought To prison thus a ray, that when dull night Frowns o'er her realms, and nature's all seems nought, She whom he grieves to leave may still behold his light." SARDIUS IN HIS PAVILION WITH ALTHEETOR (promt HESAME.) Beneath that dome, reclined the youthful king, Upon a silver couch; and soothed to mood As free and soft as perfumes from the wing Of bird, that shook the jasmines as it woo'd ; Its fitful song the mingling murmur meeting Of marble founts of many a fair device ; And bees that banquet, from the stm retreating. In every full, deep flower, that crowns his paradise While gemmy diadem thrown down beside, And garment, at the neck plucked open, proved His unconstraint, and scorn of regal pride, When thus apart retired, he sat with those he loved. One careless arm around the boy was flung. Not undeserving of that free caress ; But warm and true, and of a heart and tongue. To heighten bliss, or mitigate distress. MARIA A. Brooks. 65 Quick to perceive, in him no freedom rude Reproved full confidence; friendship, the meat His soul had starved without, with gratitude Was ta'en; and her rich wine crown'd high the banquet sweet. zophiel's lament over altheetor. (fromthesame.) And thus, at length his plaintive lip express'd The mitigated pang; 'tis sometimes so When grief meets genius in the mortal breast. And words, most deeply sweet, betray subsided woe. ''Thou'rt gone, Altheetor; of thy gentle breath Guiltless am I, but bear the penalty! Oh! is there one to whom thine earthly death Can cause the sorrow it has caused to me ? ^Cold, cold, and hush'd, is that fond, faithful breast; Oh ! of the breath of God too much was there ! It swell'd, aspired, it could not be compress'd — But gain'd a bliss fair nature could not bear. "Oh! good and true beyond thy mortal birth! What high-souPd angel help'd in forming thee ? Haply thou wert what I had been, if earth Had been the element composing me. ''Banish'd from heaven so long, what there transpiresj This weary exiled ear may rarely meet. But it is whisper'd that the unquelPd desires Another spirit for each forfeit seat, "Left vacant by our fall. That spirit placed In mortal form, must every trial bear, 'Midst all that can pollute ; and, if defaced But by one stain, it may not enter there. 66 MARIAX. BROOKS. "Though all the earth is wmg'd, from bound to bound; Though heaven desires, and angels watch, and pray- To see their ranks with fair completion crown'd; So few to bless their utmost search are found, That half in heaven have ceased to hope the day; And pensive seraphs' sighs, o'er heavenly harps resound. "And when, long wandering from his blissful height. One like to thee some quick-eyed spirit views, He springs to heaven, more radiant from delight, And heaven's blue domes ring loud with rapture at the news. " Yet oft the being, by all heaven beloved, (So doubtful every good, in world like this;) Some fiend corrupts ere ripe to be removed : And tears are seen in eyes made but to float in bliss." MIDNIGHT. (FROM THE SAME.) 'Tis now the hour of mirth, the hour of love. The hour of melancholy. Night, as vain Of her full beauty, seems to pause above. That all may look upon her ere it wane. The heavenly angel watch'd his subject's star O'er all that's good and fair benignly smiling; The sighs of wounded love he hears, from far; Weeps that he cannot heal, and wafts a hope beguiling. The nether earth looks beauteous as a gem; High o'er her groves, in floods of moonlight laving, The towering palm displays his silver stem, The while his plumy leaves scarce in the breeze are waving MARIAA. BROOKS. 67 The nightingale among his roses sleeps; The soft-eyed doe in thicket deep is sleeping; The dark green myrrh her tears of fragrance weeps, And, every odorous spike in limpid dew is steeping. Proud prickly cerea, now thy blossom 'scapes Its cell ; brief cup of light ; and seems to say, '^ 1 am not for gross mortals ; blood of grapes — And sleep for them ! Come spirits, while ye may !" A silent stream winds darkly through the shade, And slowly gains the Tigris, where 'tis lost; By a forgotten prince, of old, 'twas made, And, in its course, full many a fragment crost Of marble fairly carved*; and by its side Her golden dust the flaunting lotus threw O'er her white sisters, throned upon the tide, And queen of every flower that loves perpetual dew, THE gnome's song. < o (FROM THE SAME., Day, in melting purple dying, Blossoms, all around me sighing, Fragrance, from the lilies straying. Zephyr, with my ringlets playing. Ye but waken my distress : I am sick of loneliness. Thou to whom I love to hearken, Come, ere night around me darken; MARIA A. BROOKS. 7] Though thy softness but deceive me, Say thou'rt true, and I'll believe thee; Veil, if ill, thy soul's intent, Let me think it innocent. Save thy toiling, spare thy treasure ; All I ask is friendship's pleasure; Let the shining ore lie darkling. Bring no gem in lustre sparkling; Gifts and gold are nought to me; I would only look on thee! Tell to thee the high-wrought feeling, Ecstasy but in revealing ; Paint to thee the deep sensation, Rapture in participation. Yet but torture, if comprest In a lone unfriended breast. Absent still ? Ah ! come and bless me ! Let these eyes again caress thee; Once, in caution, I could fly thee; Now, I nothing could deny thee ; In a look if death there be, Come and I will gaze on thee! THE GUARDIAN ANGEL. (FROM THE SAME. ) " Call me no longer Hariph : I but took. For love of that young pair, this mortal guise ; And often have I stood, beside Heaven's book, And given in record there, their deeds and sighs. " From infancy I 've watch'd them, < — far apart, — Oppress'd by men and fiends; yet, form'd to dwell Soul blent with soul, and beating heart 'gainst heart; 'Tis (loni3. — Behold the angel Raphael. •74 72 M A R I A A . B R O O K S . " That blest commission.^ friend of men, I bear, To comfort those who undeservedly mourn ; And every good resolve, kind tear, heart-prayer, 'Tis mine to shov7 before the Eternal's throne. '^ And oft I haste, and when the good and true Are headlong urged to deep pollution, save; Just as my v/ings receive some drops of dew, Which else must join Asphaltites' black wave." He said ; all o'er to radiant beauty warming. While they, in doubt of what they look'd upon, Beheld a form — dissolving — dazzling — charming — But, ere their lips found utterance, it was gone TO ROBERT SOUTHEY. Oh! laurel'd bard, how can I part. Those cheering smiles no more to see, Until my soothed and solaced heart Pours forth one- grateful lay to thee ? Fair virtue tuned thy youthful breath, And peace and pleasure bless thee now ; For love and beauty guard the wreath That blooms upon thy manly brow. The Indian, leaning on his bow. On hostile cliff, in desert drear. Cast with less joy his glance below. When came some friendly warrior near ; The native dove of that warm isle Where oft, with flowers, my lyre was drest^ Sees with less joy the sun awhile When vertic rains have drench'd her nest, MARIA A. BROOKS. 73 Than I, a stranger, first beheld Thine eye's harmonious welcome given With gentle word, which, as it swelPd, Came to my heart benign as heaven. Soft be thy sleep, as mists that rest On Skiddaw's top at summer morn ; Smooth be thy days as Derwent's breast, When summer light is almost gone! And yet, for thee, why breathe a prayer? I deem thy fate is given in trust To seraphs, who by daily care. Would prove that heaven is not unjust." And treasured shall thine image be In memory's purest, holiest shrine. While truth and honour glow in thee, Or life's warm quivering pulse is mine. FRIENDSHIP. To meet a friendship such as mine, Such feelings must the soul refine. As are not oft of mortal birth; — 'T is love, without a stain of earth. Looks are its food, its nectar sighs, Its couch the lips, its throne the eyes. The soul its breath, and so possest, Heaven's raptures reign in mortal breast. Though Friendship be its earthly name, Purely from highest Heaven it camej; 'Tis seldom felt for more than one. And scorns to dwell with Venus' son. 7 74 MARIAA. BROOKS. Him let it view not, or it dies Like tender hues of morning skies, Or mom's sweet flower, of purple glow. When sunny beams too ardent grow. A charm o'er every object play^s — All looks so lovely while it stays. So softly forth, in rosier tides, The vital flood ecstatic glides. That, wrung by grief to see it part. Its dearest drop escapes the heart; Such drop, I need not tell thee, fell While bidding it, for thee, farewell. LINES COMl'OSED AT THE REQUEST OF A LADY WHO RETURNED TO THE NORTH AND DIED SOON AFTER. Adieu, fair isle ! I love thy bowers, I love thy dark-eyed daughters there ; The cool pomegranate's scarlet flowers Look brighter in their jetty hair. They praised my forehead's stainless white; And when I thirsted, gave a draught From the full clustering cocoa's height. And smiling, bless'd me as I quafi^d. Well pleased, the kind return I gave. And, clasp'd in their embraces' twine, Felt the soft breeze, like Lethe's wave. Becalm this beating heart of mine. Why will my heart so wildly beat? Say, Seraphs, is my lot too blest, That thus a fitful, feverish heat. Must rifle rae of health and rest? MARIAA. BROOKS. lb Alas! I fear my native snows; — A clime too cold, a heart too warm — Alternate chills— -alternate glows — Too fiercely threat my flower-like form. The orange-tree has fruit and flowers ; The grenadilla, in its bloom, Hangs o'er its high, luxuriant bowers, Like fringes from a Tyrian loom. When the white coflee-blossoms swell, The fair moon full, the evening long, I loVe to hear the warbling bell. And sun-burnt peasant's wayward song. Drive gently on, dark muleteer, And the light seguidilla frame : Fain would I listen still, to hear At every close thy mistress' name. Adieu, fair isle! the waving palm Is pencill'd on thy purest sky; Warm sleeps the bay, the air is balm, And, soothed to languor, scarce a sigh Escapes for those I love so well. For those I've loved and left so long, On me their fondest musings dwell, To them alone my sighs belong. On, on, my bark! blow, southern breeze! No longer would I lingering stay; 'Twere better far to die with these, Than live in pleasure far away. LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. SONG. Oh, moon of flowers! sweet moon of flowers, Why dost thou mind me of the hours Which flew so softly on that night, When last I saw and felt thy light? Oh, moon of flowers ! thou moon of flowers, Would thou couldst give me back those hours, Since which a dull cold year has fled, Or show me those with whom they sped! Oh, moon of flowers ! oh, moon of flowers ! In scenes afar were past those hours. Which still with fond regret I see, And wish my heart could change like thee! LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. Mrs. Sigourney, whose maiden name was Huntley, was born in Nor- wich, Connecticut, in 1797. She was the only child of pious parents, who early instilled into her mind principles of religion, and habits of industry. Her precocity was remarkable ; at three she read with a distinct and perfect enunciation ; and at eight wrote verses which were marked by rhythmical accuracy, more than by poetic impulse; at nine, she commenced a fictitious work, in the epistolary style ; and at eleven, began a regular journal. Her diffidence was as great as her love for the pen ; for, having no lock or key in her possession, she carefully hid all her effusions under huge piles of books, with a nervous fear, amount- ing to shame, lest they should be discovered. One point in her childish character — so strong as to be worth recording — was an ardent love and reverence for the aged, and an extreme tenderness towards animals. At school she was distinguished for the ease with which she acquired knowledge, and for her unceasing devotion to study. Books, however, LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 77 did not engross her attention to the exclusion of other duties, for she loved domestic employments; and was as industrious in her attention to tliem, as in her favourite studies. She was particularly fond of spin- ning- on the great wheel, and constructed in this way many fabrics of enduring benefit to the family ; among others, a whole suit of broad- cloth for her father, which he long wore with peculiar satisfaction. To those who have read Mrs. Sigourney's most admirable and instructive Letters to Young Ladies^ it will be pleasant to learn, that in her own case, precept and practice, as it regards diligence in domestic life, were not divided. Her prevailing desire from childhood was to be fitted for ;he task of a teacher. Beginning with two young ladies as day-scholars, in her own room, she afterward shared with a dear friend the charge of a large school, two miles from her home. In summer time she was accustomed to walk this distance, morning and evening ; the exercise giving her a perpetual elasticity of spirits, and vigour of health. Her chief object in teaching now was to assist her parents, whose income was small, and to add various comforts to their home and persons, which their own prudence denied. That this filial desire might be better accomplished, her kind friend, Daniel Wadsworth, Esq., of Hartford, obtained for her, in that city, a school after her own heart, over which she presided for five years. To this same benevolent friend she was indebted for the first encouragement her literary efforts received ; and through his persuasions she published her first volume, called Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse, being then only eighteen. At twenty, she was married to Mr. Charles Sigourney, of Hartford; a merchant of dis- tinction, and a gentleman of wealth and education. In 1822, Mrs. Sigourney published a poem called Traits of the Aborigines of America, the proceeds of which were wholly devoted to religious charities. The Sketch of Connecticut Forty years since, a prose legend, in which the history of New England, and its romantic and varied scenery, are set forth in glowing- colours, appeared in 1824. From that time, until the present, she has never wearied in her endeavours to entertain and bene- fit the public mind, by her numerous writings in prose and verse. Her pen is ever as ready as it is skilful, for charitable purposes ; and the cause of missions, temperance, and every philanthropic society, have again and again been indebted to her genius. The one great aim of her soul, is — to do good. Mrs. Sigourney visited England and France in 1840, and spent a year in travelling among the cities and haunts most interest- ing to the mind of a poet, and most likely to yield, not only for herself, 7* 78 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. but for the public, Pleasant Memories of Pleasant Lands. An interest- ing volume under this title, was published soon after her return from England. She resides still at Hartford, Connecticut. Her Select Poems, from which some of the following have been taken, have passed through Ive or six editions, which tells plainly the wide admiration they have won, by their mild dignity and harmony, good sense, and pure reli- gion. Memory, and Dew-drops, have been kindly sent us by the authoress, as an express contribution for this volume. SUNSET ON THE ALLEGHANY. I WAS a pensive pilgrim at the foot Of the crown'd Alleghany, when he wrapp'd His purple mantle gloriously around, And took the homage of the princely hills, And ancient forests, as they bow'd them down, Each in his order of nobility. — And then in glorious pomp, the sun retired Behind that solemn shadow. And his train Of crimson, and of azure and of gold, Went floating up the zenith, tint on tint. And ray on ray, till all the concave caught His parting benediction. But the glow Faded to twilight, and dim evening sank In deeper shade, and there that mountain stood ]n awful state, like dread ambassador 'Tween earth and heaven. Methought it frown'd severe Upon the world beneath, and lifted up The accusing forehead sternly toward the sky, To witness 'gainst its sins. And is it meet For thee, swoln out in cloud-capp'd pinnacle, To scorn thine own original, the dust That, feebly eddying on the angry winds. LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 79 Doth sweep thy base ? Say, is it meet for theo, Robing thyself in mystery, to impeach This netner sphere, from whence thy rocky root Draws depth and nutriment ? But lo! a star, The first meek herald of advancing night, Doth peer above thy summit, as some babe Might gaze with brow of timid innocence Over a giant's shoulder. Hail, lone star! Thou friendly watcher o'er an erring world, Thine uncondemning glance .oth aptly teach Of that untiring mercy, which vouchsafes Thee light, and man salvation. Not to mark And treasure up his follies, or recount Their secret record in the court of Heaven, Thou com'st. Methinks ihy tenderness would shroud, With trembling mantle, his infirmities. The purest natures are most pitiful. But they who feel corruption strong within, Do launch their darts most fiercely at the trace Of their own image, in another's breast. — So the wild bull, that in some mirror spies His own mad visage, furiously destroys The frail reflector. But thou, stainless star! Shalt stand a watchman on Creation's walls. While race on race their little circles mark. And slumber in the tomb. Still point to all, Who through this evening scene may wander on, And from yoii mountain's cold magnificence Turn to thy milder beauty, point to all, The eternal love that nightly sends thee forth, A silent teacher of its boundless love. so LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. FAREWELL TO A RURAL RESIDENCE. How beautiful it stands, Behind its elm-tree's screen. With simple attic cornice crown'd, All graceful and serene! Most sweet, yet sad, it is, Upon yon scene to gaze, And list its inborn melody, The voice of other days : For there, as many a year Its varied chart unroll'd, I hid me in those quiet shades, And calPd the joys of old ; I calPd them, and they came When vernal buds appear'd, Or where the vine-clad summer bower Its temple-roof uprear'd; Or where the o'er-arching grove Spread forth its copses green. While eye-bright and asclepias rear'd Their untrain'd stalks between; And the squirrel from the boughs His broken nuts let fall. And the merry, merry little birds Sang at his festival. Yon old forsaken nests Returning spring shall cheer. And thence the unfledged robin breathe His greeting wild and clear; And from yon clustering vine. That wreathes the casement round. The humming-bird's unresting wings Send forth a whirring sound; LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 81 And where alternate springs The lilac's purple spire Fast by its snowy sister's side; Or where, with wing of fire, The kingly oriole glancing went Amid the foliage rare. Shall many a group of children tread, But mine will not be there. Fain would I know what forms The mastery here shall keep, What mother in yon nursery fair Rocks her young babes to sleep : Yet blessings on the hallow'd spot. Though here no more I stray; And blessings on the stranger-babes. Who in those halls shall play. Heaven bless you, too, my plants. And every parent bird. That here, among the woven boughs. Above its young hath stirr'd. 1 kiss your trunks, ye ancient trees. That often, o'er my head. The blossoms of your flowery spring In fragrant showers have shed. Thou, too, of changeful mood, I thank thee, sounding stream, That blent thine echo with my thought, Or woke my musing dream. I kneel upon the verdant turf, For sure my thanks are due To moss-cup and to clover-leaf. That gave me draughts of dew. 82 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOUllNEY. To each perennial flower, Old tenants of the spot, The broad-leaf 'd lily of the vale, And the meek forget-me-not; To every daisy's dappled brow, To every violet blue, Thanks ! thanks ! may each returning year Your changeless bloom renew. Praise to our Father-God, High praise, in solemn lay, Alike for what his hand hath given. And what it takes away : And to some other loving heart May all this beauty be The dear retreat, the Eden-home, That it hath been to me. NI A G ARA. Flow on for ever, in thy glorious robe Of terror and of beauty. Yea, flow on Unfathom'd and resistless. God hath set His rainbow on thy forehead : and the cloud Mantled around thy feet. And he doth give Tliy voice of thunder power to speak of Him Eternally — bidding the lip of man Keep silence — and upon thine altar pour Incense of awe-struck praise. Earth fears to lift The insect-trump, that tells her trifling joys Or fleeting triumphs 'mid the peal sublime Of thy tremendous hymn. Proud Ocean shrinks Back from thy brotherhood, and all his waves IYPI\ HUNTLEYSIGOURNEY. 83 Retire abash'd. For he hath need to sleep, Sometimes, like a spent labourer, calling home His boisterous billows from their vexing play, To a long, dreary calm : but thy strong tide Faints not, nor e'er with failing heart forgets Its everlasting lesson, night nor day The morning stars, that haiPd creation's birth, Heard thy hoarse anthem, mixing with their song Jehovah's name; and the dissolving fires, That wait the mandate of the dav of doom To wreck tfie earth, shall find it deep inscribed Upon thy rocky scroll. The lofty trees That list thy teachings, scorn the" lighter lore Of the too fitful winds ; while their young leaves Gather fresh greenness from thy living spray, Yet tremble at the baptism. Lol yon birds, How bold they venture near, dipping their wing In all thy mist and foam. Perchance 'tis meet For them to touch thy garment's hem, or stir Thy diamond wreath, who sport upon the cloud, Unblamed, or warble at the gate of heaven Without reproof. But, as for us, it seems Scarce lawful with our erring lips to talk Familiarly of thee. Methinks, to trace Thine awful features, with our pencil's point. Were but to press on Sinai. Thou dost speak Alone of God, who pour'd thee as a drop From his right hand, — bidding the soul that looks Upon thy fearful majesty, be still. Be humbly wrapp'd in its own nothingness And lose itse/f in Him. 84 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOUKNEY. AUTUMN. Has it come, the time to fade? And with a murmur'd sigh, The Maple, in his scarlet robe, Was the first to make reply; And the queenly Dahlias droop'd Upon their thrones of state, The frost-king, with his baleful kiss, Had well forestalPd their fate. Hydrangia, on her telegraph A hurried signal traced Of dire and dark conspiracy. That Summer's realm menaced; Then quick the proud exotic peers In consternation fled. And refuge in their green-house sought Before the day of dread. The vine that o'er my casement climb'd And cluster'd day by day, I count its leaflets every morn, See, how they fade away; And, as they withering one by one Forsake their parent tree, I call each sere and yellow leaf A buried friend to me. Put on thy mourning, said my soul, And, with a tearful eye. Walk softly 'mid the m,any graves Where thy companions lie. The violet, like a loving babe, When vernal suns were new. That met thee with a soft, blue eye, And lips all bathed in dew, LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY Sf> The lily, as a timid bride, While summer suns were fair. That put her snowy hand in thine, To bless thee for thy care; The trim and proud anemone, The daisy from the vale, The purple lilac towering high To guard his sister pale; The ripen'd rose, where are they now r But from the rifled bower A voice came forth, " take heed to note Thine own receding hour, And let the strange and silver hair That o'er thy forehead strays, Be as a monitor,, to tell The autumn of thy days." TO AN ABSENT DAUGHTER. Where art thou, bird of song ? Brightest one and dearest? Other groves among, Other nests thou cheerest ; Sweet thy warbling skill To each ear that heard thee, But 'twas sweetest still To the heart that rear'd thee. Lamb, where dost thou rest? On stranger-bosoms lying? Flowers, thy path that drest, All uncropp'd are dying; Streams where thou didst roam Murmur on without thee, Lov'st thou still thy home? Can thy mother doubt thee? 8 86 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEV Seek thy Saviour's flock, To his West fold going, Seek that smitten rock Whence our peace is flowing; Still should Love rejoice, Whatsoe'er betide thee, If that Shepherd's voice Evermore might guide thee. VILD FLOWERS GATHERED FOR A SKCK FRIEND Rise from the dells where ye first were born, From the tangled beds of the weed and thorn. Rise, for the dews of the morn are bright, And haste away, with your eyes of light. — Should the green-house patricians, with withering frown On your simple vestments look haughtily down, Shrink not, for His finger your heads hath bow'd. Who heeds the lowly, and humbles the proud. — The tardy spring, and the chilling sky. Hath meted your robes with a miser's eye, And check'd the blush of your blossoms free ; With a gentler friend your home shall be, To a kinder ear you may tell your tale Of the zephyr's kiss, and the scented vale : Ye are charm'd! ye are charm'd! and your fragi'anl sigl Is health to the bosom on which ye die. SOLITUDE. Deep Solitude I sought. There was a dell Where woven shades shut out the eye of day. While, towering near, the rugged mountains made Dark back-ground 'gainst the sky. LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 81 Thither I went, And bade my sphit taste that lonely fount. For whicli it long had thirsted 'mid the strife And fever of the world. — I thought to be There without witness. — But the violet's eye Look'd up to greet me, the fresh wild-rose smiled, And the young pendent vine-flower kiss'd my cheek. There were glad voices too. — The garrulous brook. Untiring, to the patient pebbles told Its history. — Up came the singing breeze. And the broad leaves of the cool poplar spake Responsive, every one. — Even busy Jife Woke in that dell. The dexterous spider threw From spray to spray the silver-tissued snare. The thrifty ant, whose curving pincers pierced The rifled grain, toiled toward her citadel. To her sweet hive went forth the loaded bee. While, from her wind-rocked nest, the mother-bird Sang to her nurslings. Yet I strangely thought To be alone and silent in thy realm. Spirit of life and love ! — It might not be ! — There is no solitude in thy domains, Save what man makes, when in his selfish breast He locks his joy, and shuts out others' grief. Thou hast not left thyself in this wide world Without a witness. Even the desert place Speaketh thy name. The simple flowers and sti earns Are social and bene volenti, and he Who holdeth converse in their language pure, Roaming among them at the cool of day. Shall find, like him who Eden's garden drest. His Maker there, to teach his listening heart. 88 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. THE HAPPY FARMER. Saw ye the farmer at his plougli, As you were riding by? Or wearied 'neath his noon-day toil, When summer suns were high ? And thought you that his lot was hard ? And did you thank your God That you, and yours, were not condemn'd Thus like a slave to plod? Come, see him at his harvest-home, When garden, field, and tree, Conspire with flowing stores to fill His barn and granary. His healthful children gaily sport Amid the new-mown hay. Or proudly aid, with vigorous arm, His task, as best they may. The dog partakes his master's joy. And guards the loaded wain, The feathery people clap their wings, And lead their youngling train. Perchance, the hoary grandsire's eye The glowing scene surveys. And breathes a blessing on his race, Or guides their evening praise. The Harvest-Giver is their friend. The Maker of the soil. And Earth, the Mother, gives them bread And cheers their patient toil. Come, join them round their wintry heiarth. Their heartfelt pleasures see. And you can better judge how blest The farmer's life may be. I. YDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 89 THE LONELY CHURCH. It stood among the chestnuts, its white spire And slender turrets pointing where man's heart Should oftener turn. Up went the wooded cliffs, Abruptly beautiful, above its head, Shutting with verdant screei'^the waters out, That just beyond in deep sequestered vale Wrought out their rocky passage. Clustering roofs And varying sounds of village industry SwelPd from its margin, while the ^sy loom. Replete with radiant fabrics, told the skill Of the prompt artisan. But all around The solitary dell, where meekly rose That consecrated church, there was no voice Save what still Nature in her worship breathes. And that unspoken lore with which the dead Do commune with the living. There they lay. Each in his grassy tenement, the sire Of many winters, and the noteless babe Over whose empty cradle, night by night. Sat the poor mother mourning, in her tears Forgetting what a little span of time Did hold her from her darling. And methouglit How sweet it were, so near the sacred house Where we had heard of Christ, and taken his yoke, And Sabbath after Sabbath gathered strength To do his will, thus to lie down and rest, Close 'neath the shadow of its peaceful w^alls; And when the hand doth moulder, to lift up Our simple tomb-stone witness to that faith Which cannot die. Heaven bless thee, Lonely Chui»ch, And daily mayst thou warn a pilgrim-band, 8* 90 LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. From toil, from cumbrance, and from strife to flee, And drink the waters of eternal life : Still in sweet fellowship with trees and skies, Friend both of earth and heaven, devoutly stand To guide the living and to guard the dead. NO CONCEALMENT. Think'st thou to be conceal'd, thou little stream. That through the lonely vale dost wend thy way, Loving beneath Wb darkest arch to glide Of woven branches, blent with hillocks gray ? The mist doth track thee, and reveal thy course Unto the dawn, and a bright line of green Tinting thy marge, and the white flocks that hastes At summer noon to taste thy crystal sheen. Make plain thy wanderings to the eye of day. And then, th)r smiling answer to the moon. Whose beams so freely on thy bosom sleep, Unfold thy secret, even to night's dull noon — How couldst thou hope, in such a world as this, To shroud thy gentle path of beauty and of bliss ? Think'st thou to be conceal'd, thou little seed, That in the bosom of the earth art cast. And there, like cradled infant, sleep'st awhile. Unmoved by trampling storm or thunder blast ? Thou bid'st thy time; for herald Spring shall come And wake thee, all unwilling as thou art, Unhood thy eyes, unfold tliy clasping sheath. And stir the languid pulses of thy heart ; The loving rains shall woo thee, and the dews Weep o'er thy bed, and, ere thou art aware, Fcyth steals the tender leaf, the wiry stem. The trembling bud, the flower that scents the air; LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY.' 91 And soon, to all, tliy ripen'd fruitage tells The evil or the good that in thy nature dwells. Think'st thou to be conceaPd, thou little thought, That in the curtain'd chamber of the soul Dost wrap thyself so close, and dream to do A secret work ? Look to the hues that roll O'er the changed brow — the moving lips behold — Linking thee unto speech — the feet that run Upon thy errands,- and the deeds that stamp Thy lineage plain before the noohday sun; Look to the pen that writes thy history down In those tremendous books that ne'er unclose Until the day of doom, and blush to see How vain thy trust in darkness to repose. Where all things tend to judgment. So, beware, Oh ! erring human heart ! what thoughts thou lodgest there. THE BENEFACTRESS. Who asks if I remember thee ? or speak thy treasured name ? Doth the frail rush forget the stream from whence its green- ness came ? Doth the wild, lonely flower that sprang within some rocky dell Forget the first awakening smile that on its bosom fell .'* Did Israel's exiled sons, when far from Zion's hill away. Forget the high and holy house, where first they learn'd to pray ? Forget around their Temple's wreck to roam in mute despair. And o'er its hallow 'd ashes pour a grief that none might share ? Remember thee ? Remember thee ? — though many a year hath fled. Since o'er thy pillow cold and low, the uprooted turf was spread. 92 LYDIA HUNTLEY* SIGOURNEY. Yet oft doth twilight's musing hour thy graceful form restore, And morning breathe the music-tone, like Memnon's harp of yore. The simple cap that deck'd thy brow is still ^o Memory dear, Her echoes keep thy cherish'd song that luU'd my infant ear; The book, from which my lisping tongue was by thy kind- ness taught. Gleams forth, with all its letter'd lines, still fresh with hues of thought. • The flowers, the dear, familiar flowers, that in thy garden grew, From which thy mantel-vase was filPd — methinks, they breathe anew ; Again, the whispering lily bends, and ope those lips of rose, As if some message of thy love, they linger'd to disclose. 'T is true, that more than fourscore years had bow'd thy beauty low. And mingled, with thy cup of life, full many a dreg of woe, But yet thou hadst a better charm than youthful bloom hath found, A balm within thy chasten'd heart, to heal another's wound. Remember thee ? Remember thee ? though with the blest on high, Thou hast a mansion of delight, unseen by mortal eye, Comes not thy wing to visit me, in the deep watch of night, When visions of unutter'd things do make my sleep so bright ? I feel thy love within my breast, it nerves me strong and high, As cheers the wanderer o'er the deep the pole-star in the sky, And when my weary spirit quails, or friendship's smile is cold, I feel thine arm around me thrown, as oft it was of old. Remember thee ! Remember thee ! while flows this purple tide, I '11 keep thy precepts in my heart, thy pattern for my guide, And, when life's little journey ends, and light forsakes my eye, Come, hovering o'er my^bed-of pain, and teach me how to die. liYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. 93 THE LITTLE HAND. Thou wak'st, my baby boy, from sleep, And through its silken fringe Thine eye, like violet, pure and ded^, Gleams forth with azure tinge. With what a smile of gladness meek Thy radiant brow is drest. While fondly to a mother's cheek Thy lip and hand are prest! That little hand! what prescient wit Its history may discern, When time its tiny bones hath knit With manhood's sinews stern? The artist's pencil shall it guide? Or spread the adventurous sail ? Or guide the plough with rustic pride. And ply the sounding flail ? Through music's labyrinthine maze, With dexterous ardour rove. And weave those tender, tuneful lays That beauty wins from love ? Old Coke's or Blackstone's mighty tome With patient toil turn o'er? Or trim the lamp in classic dome. Till midnight's watch be o'er? Well skilled, the pulse of sickness press ? Or such high honour gain As, o'er the pulpit raised, to bless A pious listening train ? 94 LYDIA HUNTLEY S I G U R N E V. Say, shall it find the cherish'd grasp Of friendship's fervour cold ? Or, shuddering, feel the envenom'd clasp Of treachery's serpent-fold ? Yet, dh! may that Almighty Friend, From whom existence came. That dear and powerless hand defend From deeds of guilt and shame. Grant it to dry the tear of woe. Bold folly's course restrain, The alms of sympathy bestow. The righteous cause maintain — Write wisdom on the wing of time, Even 'mid the morn of youth, And with benevolence sublime . Dispense the light of truth — Discharge a just, an useful part Through life's uncertain maze. Till coupled with an angel's heart. It strike the lyre of praise. SILENT DEVOTION. "The Lord is in his holy temple; — let all the Earth keep silena before him." The Lord is on his holy throne, He sits in kingly state; Let those who for his favour seek, In humble silence wait. Your sorrows to his eye are known, Your secret motives clear. It needeth not the pomp of words To pour them on his ear. LYDIA HCTNTLEY SIGOURNEY. ^i Doth Death thy bosom's cell invader Yield up thy flower of grass : Swells the world's wrathful billow highf Bow down, and let it pass. Press not thy purpose on thy God, Urge not thine erring will, Nor dictate to the Eternal mind, Nor doubt thy Maker's skill. True prayer is not the noisy sound That clamorous lips repeat, But the deep silence of a sou. That clasps Jehovah's feet. TO A DYING INFANT. Go to thy rest, my child! Go to thy dreamless bed, Gentle and undefiled, With blessings on thy head, Fresh roses in thy hand. Buds on thy pillow laid, , Haste from this fearful land. Where flowers so quickly fade. Before thy heart might learn In waywardness to stray, Before thy foot could turn The dark and downward way Ere sin might wound the breast, Or sorrow wake the tear. Rise to thy home of rest. In yon celestial sphere. 96 ;.YDIA HUNTLEY SIGOUSNEYe Because thy smile was fair, Thy lip and eye so bright, .because thy cradle-care Was such a fond deliaht, Shall Love, with weak embrace, Thy heavenward flight detain? No! Angel, seek thy place Amid yon cherub-train. LINES. From a bright hearth-stone of our land, A beam hath pass'd away, A smile, whose cheering influence seem"'d Like morning to the day; A sacrificing spirit With innate goodness fraught. That ever for another's weal Employ'd its fervid thought. That beam is gathered back again To the Pure Fount of flame. That smile the Blessed Source hath found, From whence its radiance came,-^— That spirit hath a genial clime; And yet, methinks, 'twill bend Sometimes, amid familiar haunts. Beside the mourning friend. Yet better 'twere to pass away. Ere evening shadows fell, To wrap in chillness, and decay, What here was loved so well; - And strew unvvither'd flowers around, When the last footsteps part. And leave in every nook of home. Sweet memories for the- heart. L Y D I A HUNTLEY S I G O U K N E Y . 97 APy E RT I SE ME NT OY A LOST DAY. Lost! lost! lost! A gem of countless price, Cut from the living rock, And graved in Paradise. Set round with three times eight Large diamonds, clear and bright. And each with sixty smaller ones, All changeful as the light. Lost — where the thoughtless tkrong In fashion's mazes wind. Where trilleth folly's song. Leaving a sting behind; Yet to my hand 'twas given A golden liarp to buy, Such as the white-robed clioir attune To deathless minstrelsy. Lost! lost! lost! I feel all search is vain; That gem of countless lost Can ne'er be mine again: 1 offer no reward. For till these heart-strinjrs sever.^ I know that Heaven-entrusted ^\ft Is reft away for ever. But when the sea and land Like burning scroll have fltid, I'll see it in Ilis hand Who judgelh quick and dead, ilna when of scathe and loss That man can ne'er repair. The dread inquiry meets my sou]. What shall it answer there? G 98 L Y D I A HUNTLEY S I G U R N E Y . Ill K L-X O 11 Y. The past she rulcth. At her wand Its teniDle-valveG {inrold, And from their gloiious shrines desceml The mighty forms of old; To her deep voice the dead reply, Dry bones are clothed and live, Long-perish'd garlands bloom anew- And buried joys revive. When o'er the future many a shade Like saddening twilight steals, Or the dimm'd present to the heart Its vapidness reveals, She opes her casket, and a cloud Of treasured incense steams. Till with a lifted heart we tread The pleasant land of dreams. Make friends of potent Memory, Oh young man, in thy prime. And store with jewels rich and rare Her hoard for hoary time; For if thou mockest her v/ith weeihf^ A trifler 'mid her bowers, — She'll drop their poison on thy sowl 'Mid life's disastrous hours. Make friends of potent Memory Oh Maiden in thy bloom, And bind her closely to thy heart Before the days of gloom ; For sorrow softeneth into joy Beneath her touch sublim.e. And she celestial robes can weave from the frail threads of time. LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY 99 DEW-DROPS. " Father, there are no dew-drops on my ro«;e : I thought to find them, but they all are gone. Was Night a niggard ? Or did cunning Dawn Steal those bright diamonds from the slumbering Day?" — The father answer'd not, but waved his hand, For the soft falling of a summer shower Made quiet music 'mid the quivering leaves. And through the hollows of the freshen'd turf Drew lines like silver. Then a oow sprang forth, Spaiiniiig the skies. "Seest thou yon glorious hues Violet and gold ? The dew-drops tremble there, That from the bosom of thy rose had fled. My precious child. Read thou the lesson well, . That what is pure and beautiful on earth, Shall glow in Heaven." He knew not that he spake Prophetic words. But ere the infant moon SwelPd to a perfect orb its crescent pale, That gentle soul which on the parent's breast Had sparkled as a dew-drop, was exhaled, To mingle 'mid the brightness of the skies. * ANNA MAKIA WELLS. Miss Foster, now Mrs. Wells, was born about the year 1794, in Gloucester, Massachusetts ; but was educated in Boston, and has lived there ever since. She is a highly accomplished woman ; possesses a well-furnished mind, and as admirable a talent for drawing and music as for poetry. She was also, when young, no less distinguished for her exquisite beauty, than for her genius and accomplishments. Her poems weie published in a volume in 1831, but are not so generally known as they deserve to bo. The specimens we subjoin are delightful for their touching simplicity, purity of thought, and fervour of feeling. Mrs. Wells is a sister of Mrs. Frances S. Osgood ; who, when a child, was her loved and loving pupil, as we gather from a verse in the fol- -owing sweet strain of pleasant but half-mournful memory. MY CLOSET. WjTiiiN my chamber's bounds it lay , For years it was my haunt by day; There half the summer night I'd stav% With lingering pleasure. J loved it chiefly that 'twas mine; There first my fancy learn'd to twine Poetic flowers, — not quite divine, — A hidden treasure. It was the quietest of nooks ; — How well 1 can recall its Iooks. One side just held my h .>ard of books, A dear deposit; (100) '^.^yr ./^ Sf/^^2. 9 ANNA MARIA WELLS. 101 One window, veil'd by curtains fair, Gave entrance to the summer air; Beside it stood my desk and chair: My pretty closet. When memory's harp had ceased to ring. And vainly I essay'd the string, There thought could oft its music bring. With sweet revealing. And there at lonely hour of night, I used to watch the moonbeams bright. Throwing their wreaths of silver light Along the ceiling. In summer, when the fields were green. And bending boughs my window-screen, Ah me! how happy I have been, Free from intrusion; While oft of jElattery's pleasing snare, And oft of hope's delusions fair, Reflection taught me to beware. In that seclusion. There, with one friend, delightful flew Hours of sweet converse not a few] The snug retreat, 'twould hold but two. So narrow was it; And yet a cozy place to sit. Though leaning back the shelves we hit, And forward scarce avoided it; My little closet. It was the homestead of my mind ; For there its thoughts were first combined, And elsewhere I shall never find Just such another I 102 ANNA MARIA WELLS. 'Twas there I ran and closed the door 'Gainst one who ill such usage bore, A playful child, — ah! now no more — My petted brother! And there with mingled joy and pain. To con their tasks and con again, I taught my little sisters twain. For ever busy; Just out the closet door they sat. And mischief oft they would be at; I loved them dearly for all that, Fanny and Lizzie! There, when my heart was sick with grief, Finding its youthful joys so brief, In prayer I sought a sure relief, Denied me never. Ah! sad to my young heart the day, When, lingering still with fond delay, I wept, and turn'd me thence away, Alas ! for ever. BIORJVING. Of all his starry honours shorn, Away old night is stealing; And upward springs the laughing morn, A joyous life revealing. Blue-eyed she comes with tresses spread, And breath than incense sweeter; The mountains glow beneath her tread. Light clouds float on to meet her. The tall corn briskly stirs its sheaves ; A thousand buds have burst The soft green calyx, that their leaves To greet her may be first. ANNA MA.RIA WELLS. 103 The flowers, that lay all night in tears, Look upward one by one ; And pearls each tiny petal bears. An offering to the sun. With beads the trembling grass is dress'd, — Each thin spire hath its string, Scatter'd in mist, as from her nest The ground-bird flaps her wing. The lake obeys the zephyr's will, While, as by fingers pressM, The bending locust-buds distil Their sweetness o'er its breast. With busy sounds the valley rings ; The ploughman yokes his team; The fisher trims his light boat's wings. And skims the brightening stream. The gentle kine forsake the shed. And wait the milk-maid's call; The frighted squirrel hears her tread, And scuds along the wall. Scattering the night-clouds as in scorning, Bright pour the new-born rays; There's more of life in one sweet morning, Than in a thousand days. TO MARY, SLEEPING. Sleep on, sleep on! while yet thy sleep is sweet, Nor scared by phantoms of world-weary care. False pleasure, fear, or still delusive hope ! Sweeter the slumber that, perchance, for thee Thy guardian angel tints with dreamy bliss. That cherub-smile speaks not of gross delight ; i04 ANNA MARIA WELLS. And haply on thy sinless vision now Celestial forms may gleam, like morning mists That yet shall brighten into perfect day; Or to thy tender organs suited, soft As breath of angels, music floats around ; — Melodious whisperings, that half unfold The harmonies enfranchised spirits know. Then, if such visions do thy slumbers bless, Sleep on, dear, sinless, happy dreamer, sleep; For I would not the short-lived charm disturb, Not e'en to meet thine eye's sad earnestness; Those eyes that shed upon thy baby face A tender, holy, melancholy light, — Like seraph Pity guarding Innocence. And yet more radiant shall their lustre be When strong by struggle, eloquent by thought, The mind shall dart its deeper meanings thence; Or pure devotion's wrapt intensity Look through their upward light. How soft the touch Of thy dark silliy hair! May vanity. That feasts upon, and saps the fairest flowers. Blight not thy spirit's sweet development. But may thy heart be artless as thy smile; Like those clear eyes thy soul be luminous; And when, at last, upspringing to its God, Be freed from earthly stain, and rise to Heaven Sweet as the balmy breath of infant sleep. ?> "we'll never part again. And say'st thou so ? And canst thou lift That veil in mercy cast Between thy destiny and thee. The future and the past? ANNA MARIA WELLS. 105 Say, is it Passion's breathing vov/? Or Friendship's promise given? Or utterance of paternal love, The purest under heaven? Oh ! if thy other self be nov/ Beside thee, — if thy own That one loved hand may clasp; thy ear Drink in that one loved tone; Enjoy the fleeting hour, — forget That earth has change or pain-, — But dare not vi'^hisper in thy bliss, "We'll never part again." Love's roses droop ere morn hath fled; The violet smiles through tears; The tall tree scatters to the blast The brightest leaf it bears. Each day, each hour, love's nearest tics The hand of death may sever; And they who live and love the best, Fate oft divides for ever. The friend so closely link'd to thee, By faith so fondly plighted, — The world's cold cautions intervene. And ye are disunited. The most impassion'd love that warms The purest, truest heart, Or time, or grief, or wrong may chimge, Aud break the links apart. Thy children— o'er their opening minds Watch, watch with heart nntired; The ceaseless vigil keep, by hope, By love, by Heaven inspired. 106 ANNA MARIA WELLS Oh! beautiful the daily toil To work that priceless mine i But deemest thou its golden ore Refined shall still be thine? Dreamer! Tliose laughing boys tJiat round Thy hearth unconscious play, — Voices already in their hearts Are whispering, "Come away!" Though warmly smile beam back to smile, And answering heart to heart, They meet in gladness who too oft Have only met to part. Then bind not earthly ties too close, But hope let Heaven sustain; There and there only mayst thou say, "We'll never part again!" THE SEA-BIRD. Sea-eird ! haunter of the w^ave, Happy o'er its crest to hover; Half-engulph'd where yawns the cave Billows form in rolling over. ^ea-bird! seeker of the, storm, In its shriek thou dost rejoice; Sending from thy bosom warm, Answer shriller than its voice. Bird of nervous wing and bright, Flashing silvery to the sun, Sporting with the sea-foam white, When will thy wild course be done ? A N N A M A R I A V/ E L L S . 107 Wliitlier tends it? Has the shore No alluring haunt for thee? Nook with tangled vines run o'er. Scented shrub, or leafy tree ? Is the purple sea-\veed rarer Than the violet of spring? Is the snowy foam-wreath fairer Than the apple's blossoming? Shady grove and sunny slope, Seek but these, and thou shalt meet Birds not born with storm to cope. Hermits of retirement sweet. Where no winds too rudely swell. But, in whispers as they pass, Of the fragrant fiow'ret tell, Hidden in the tender grass. There, the mock-bird sings of love ; There, the robin builds his nest ; There, the gentle-hearted dove. Brooding, takes her blissful rest. Sea-bird, stay thy rapid flight : — ■ Gone! — where dark waves foam and dash| Like a lone star on the night From afar his white wings flash! He obeyeth God's behest: Each and all some mission fill; Some, the tempest born to breast, Some, to v/orship and be still. If to struggle with the storrn On life's ever-changing s-^a, Where cold mists enwrap tJie form, My harsh destiny must be; i 08 ANNA MARIA WELLS. Sea-bird! thus may I abide Cheerful the allotment given; And above the ruflled tide Soar at last, like thee, to Heaven! THE WHITE HARE. It was the Sabbath eve — v^^e wenl. My little girl and I, intent The twilight hour to pass, Where we might hear the waters flow, And scent the freighted winds that blow Athwart the vernal grass. In darker grandeur, as the day Stole scarce perceptibly away, The purple mountain stood, Wearing the young moon as a crest: The sun, half sunk in the far west, Seem'd mingling with the flood. The cooling dews their balm distill'd; A holy joy our bosoms thrill'd; Our thoughts were free as air; And by one impulse moved, did we Together pour, instinctively, Our songs of gladness there. The green-wood waved its shade hard by, While thus we wove our harmony: Lured by the mystic strain, A snow-white hare, that long had been Peering from forth her covert green, Came bounding oxr the plain. Her beauty 'twaa a joy to note. The purencss of her downy coat, Her wild, yet gentle eye, ANNA MARIA WELLS. 109 The pleasure that, despite her fear. Had led the timid thing so near, To list our minstrelsy! All motionless, with head inclined. She stood, as if her heart divined The impulses of ours, — Till the last note had died, and then Turn'd half-reluctantly again. Back to her green-wood bowers. Once more the magic sounds we tried— Again the hare was seen to glide From out her sylvan shade; Again — as joy had given her 'wings. Fleet as a bird she forward springs Along the dewy glade. Go, happy thing! disport at will, — Take thy delight o'er vale and hill. Or rest in leafy bower: The harrier may beset thy way. The cruel snare thy feet betray! Enjoy thy little hour! We know not, and w'e ne'er may know, The hidden springs of joy and woe That deep within thee lie. The silent workings of thy heart — They almost seem to have a part With our humanity! THE FUTURE. The flowers, the many flowers That all along the smiling valley grew, While the sun lay for hours. Kissing fr Dm olF their drooping lids the dew ; 10 ilO ANNA MARIA WELLS. They, to the summer^ air No longer prodigal, their sweet breath yield, Vainly, to bind her hair. The village maiden seeks them in the field. The breeze, the gentle breeze That wander'd like a frolic child at play, Loitering 'mid blossom'd trees. Trailing their stolen sweets along its way, No more adventuresome, Its whisper'd love is to the violet given; The boisterous North has come. And scared the sportive trifler back to heaven. The brook, the limpid brook That prattled of its coolness as it went Forth from its rocky nook. Leaping with joy to be no longer pent, — Its pleasant song is hush'd; — The sun no more looks down upon its play; — Freely, where once it gush'd. The mountain torrent drives its noisy way. The hours, the youthful hours. When in the cool shade we were wont to lie. Idling with fresh culPd flowers, In dreams that ne'er could know reality; — Fond hours, but half enjoy 'd. Like the sweet summer breeze they pass'd away. And ,dear hopes were destroy'd. Like buds that die before the noon of day. Young life, young turbulent life, If, like the stream, it take a wayward course, 'Tis lost 'mid folly's strife, — O'erwhelm'd, at length, by passion's curbless force. ANNA MARIA WELLS. Ill Nor deem youth's buoyant hours For idle hopes or useless musings given: Who dreams away his powers, The reckless slumberer shall not wake to heaven* TO THE WHIPPOORWI LL. The shades of eve are gathering slowly round, And silence hangs o'er meadow, grove, and hill, Save one lone voice, that, with continuous sound, Calls through the deep'ning twilight — TVhippoorwill. Faintly is heard the whispering mountain breeze; Faintly the rushing brook that turn'd the mill ; Hush'd is the song of birds — the hum of bees;— r- The hour is all thine own, sad Wliippoorwill ! No more the woodman's axe is heard to fall ; No more the ploughman sings with rustic skill; As if earth's echoes woke no other call. Again, and yet again, comes Whippoorwill. Alas ! enough ! before, my heart was sad ; Sweet bird! thou mak'st it sadder, sadder still. Enough of mourning has my spirit had; I would not hear thee mourn, poor Wldppoorwlll. Thoughts of my distant home upon me press. And thronging doubts, and fears of coming ill ; My lone heart feels a deeper loneliness, Touch'd with that plaintive burthen — WhippoonviUy Sing to the village lass, whose happy home Lies in yon quiet vale, behind the hill ; But, doom'd far, far from all I love to roam, Sing not to me, oh gentle WhippoonoiU. 112 ANNA MARIA WELLS. Loved ones! ray children! Ah, they cannot hear My voice that calls to them! An answer shrill, A shrill, unconscious answer, rises near, Repeating, still repeating Whippoorwill ! Another name my lips would breathe; — but then Such tender memories all my bosom fill. Back to my sorrowing breast it sinks again ^ Hush, or thou 'It break my heart, sad Whippoorivill ' HOPE. There sits a woman on the brow Of yonder rocky height ; There, gazing o'er the waves below, She sits from morn till night. She heeds not how the mad waves leap Along the rugged shore; She looks for one upon the deep. She never may see more. As morning twilight faintly gleams. Her shadowy form I trace ; Wrapt in the silvery mist, she seems The Genius of the place! Far other once was Rosalie; Her smile was glad, her voice. Like music o'er a summer sea. Said to the heart, — "rejoice!" O'er her pure thoughts did sorrow fling Perchance a shade, 'twould pass. Lightly as glides the breath of Spring Along the bending grass. ANNA MARIA WELLS. 113 A sailor's bride 't was hers to be : — Wo to the faithless main ! Nine summers since he went to sea, And ne'er returned again. But long, where all is wreck'd beside. And every joy is chased, Long, long will lingering Hope abide Amid the dreary waste! Nine years — though all had given him o'er. Her spirit doth not fail; And still she waits along the shore The never-coming sail. On that high rock, abrupt and bare, Ever she sits, as now ; The dews have damp'd her flowing hair, The sun has scorch'd her brow. And every fai-off sail she sees, And every passing cloud. Or white-wing'd sea-bird, on the breeze, She calls to it aloud. The sea-bird answers to her cry ; The cloud, the sail, float on; The hoarse wave mocks her misery. Yet is her hope not gone. It cannot go; — with that to part. So long, so fondly nursed. So mingled with her faithful heart ; That heart itself would burst. 10* H 114 ANNA3V1ARIAWELLS. . When falling dews the clover steep, • And birds are in their nest, And flower-buds folded up to sleep. And ploughmen gone to rest ; Down the rude track her feet have vvonu- There scarce the goat may go, — Poor Rosalie, with look forlorn, Is seen descending slow. But when the gray morn tints the sky, And lights that lofty peak,— With a strange lustre in her eye, A fever in her cheek, Again she goes, untired, to sit And watch the livelong day ; Nor till the star of eve is lit. E'er turns her steps away. Hidden, and deep, and never dry, Or flowing, or at rest, A living spring of hope doth lie , In every human breast. All else may fail that soothes the nean All, save that fount alone; With that and life at once we part, For life and hope are one! CAROLINE GILMAN. Who, that has ever read the Recollections of a Southern Matron, With its wise clear thought, its delicate wit, its unaffected pathos, its fresh descriptions, and its vividly-drawn characters, but loves the name of Mrs. Caroline Gilman 1 Not we, assuredly. We must therefore be permitted to pay a warm tribute of gratitude for that most charming book. Mrs. Gilman, formerly Miss Howard, was born in Boston, in the year 1794:. She married Dr. Samuel Gilman, a minister of a Unitarian church in Charleston, S. C, in 1819; and has resided ever since in that city, where both are distinguished for their high intellec- tual attainments, and venerated for their moral excellencies. For seven years Mrs. Gilman edited a literary gazette, called The Southern Rose. Her published works are. Recollections of a Neio- England House" keeper ; Recollections of a Southern Matron ; Tales and Ballads ,• Love' s Progress ; Letters of Eliza Wilkinson ; Stories and Poems for Children; Poetry of Travelling in the United States; Oracles from the Poets ; The Sibyl ; and a volume of poetry now in the press, called. Verses of a Life-time. Her poems are unaffected and sprightly ; in- spired by warm domestic affection, and pure religious feeling. . MY PIAZZA. My piazza, my piazza! some boast their lordly halls, Where soften'd gleams of curtain'd light on golden treasure falls, Where pictures in ancestral rank look stately side by side. And forms of beauty and of grace move on in living pride f I envy not the gorgeousness that decks the crowded room^ Where vases with exotic flowers throw out their sick perfume, With carpets where the slipper'd foot sinks soft in downy swell, And mirror'd walls reflect the cheek where dimpled beauties dwell. (115) 116 CAROLINE GILMAN. My fresh and cool piazza! I seek the healthy breeze That cu'cles round thy shading vines, and softly-waving treess, With step on step monotonous, I tread thy level floor. And muse upon the sacred past, or calmly look before. My bright and gay piazza ! I love thee in the hour. When morning decks with dewy gems the wavy blade and flow'r, When the bird alights, and sings his song, upon the neigh- bouring tree, As if his notes were only made to cheer himself and me. My cool and fresh piazza ! I love thee when the sun His long and fervid circuit o'er the burning earth has run j I joy to watch his parting light loom upward to the eye. And view the pencil-touch shade off, and then in softness die. * My sociable piazza! I prize thy quiet talk. When arm in arm with one I love, I tread the accustomed walk : Or loll within our rocking-chairs, not over nice or wise, And yield the careless confidence, where heart to heart replies My piazza, my piazza! my spirit oft rejoices. When from thy distant nooks I hear the sound of youthful voices ; The careless jest, the bursting laugh, the carol wildly gay, Or cheerful step, with exercise that crowns the studious day. My beautiful piazza! thou hast thy nightly boast. When brightly in the darken'd sky appear the heavenly host Arcturus glows more brilliantly than monarchs' blazing gem, And fair Corona sits enshrined, like angels' diadem. My loved and lone piazza! the dear ones have departed. And each their nightly pillow seek, the young and happy- hearted, I linger still, a solemn hush is brooding o'er the skies, A solemn hush upon the earth in tender silence lies. CAROLINE GILMAN. 117 I feel as if a spirit's wing came near and brush'd my heart, And bade, before I yield to sleep, earth's heavy cares depart; Father, in all simplicity, I breathe the prayer I love, Oh I watch around my slumbering form, or take my soul above. A S KE TO H . The gay saloon was throng'd with grace and beauty, While astral rays shone out on lovely eyes, And lovely eyes look'd forth a clearer beam. Fashion was there — not in her flaunting robes. Lavish of charms — but that fair sprite who moulds All to her touch, yet leaves it nature still. The light young laugh came reed-like on the ear. Touching the cord of joy, electrical; And smiles too graceful for a sound passed out From ruby lips, like perfume from a flower. Catching the gracious word of courtesy. The listening maid turn'd to the speaker's eye; And bowing in his honour'd lowliness. His manly head inclined to her slight form. There was a hum of social harmony, "Like the soft south" upon the rushing seas. Between its pauses burst the harp's rich tone, Pour'd out by one who fill'd the poet's eye With fond fruition of his classic dream. A voice was there — clear and distinct it rose, Like evening's star when other stars are dim; Clear, sweet and lonely, as that southern bird's Who on far turrets trills his midnight lay. In the heart's cavern, deep that voice went down, ^ Waking up echoes of the silent past. O woman ! lovely in thy beauty's power ! Thrice lovely, when we know that thou canst turn To duty's path, and tread it with a smile. 118 CAROLINE GILMAN. HE FOR GOD ONLY, SHE FOR GOD IN HIM, When Pleasure gilds thy passing hours. And Hope enwreaths her fairy flowers, And Love appears with playful hand To steal from Time his falling sand. Oh, then I'll smile with thee. When nature's beauties bless thy sight, And yield a thrill of soft delight; When morning glories greet thy gaze. Or veiling twilight still delays. Then I'll admire with thee. When the far-clustering stars unroll Their banner'd lights from pole to pole, Or when the moon glides queenly by. Looking in silence on thine eye, I'll gaze on Heaven with thee. When music with her unsought lay Awakes the household holiday, Or Sabbath notes in concert strong Lift up the sacred wings of song, I'll sing those strains with thee. But should misfortune hovering nigh Wrest from thy aching heart a sigh, Or, with an aspect chill and drear. Despondence draw the unbidden tear,' Oh, then, I'll weep with thee. Should poverty with withering hand Wave o'er thy head his care-wrought wand, And ope within thy soul the void That haunts a mind with hopes destroy'd, I'll share that pang with thee. CAROLINE GILMAN. 119 When youth and youthful pleasures fly, Arid earth is fading on thine eye. When life has lost its early charm.. And all thy wish is holy calm, I'll love that calm with thee. And when unerring death, at last, Comes rushing on time's fatal blast, And naught (not e'en my love) can save Thy form from the encroaching grave, I'll share that grave with thee. And when thy spirit soars above. Wrapt in the foldings of God's love. Is it too much to ask of Heaven, That some low seat may there be given. Where I can bow near thee ? MY GARDEN. My garden,' fresh and beautiful! — the spell of frost is o'er. And earth sends out its varied leaves, a rich and lavish store ; My heart too breaks its wintry chain, with stem and leaf and flower. And glows in hope and happiness amid the spring-tide hour. 'Tis sunset in my garden — the flowers and buds have caught Bright revelations from the skies in wondrous changes wrought ; And as the twilight hastens on, a spiritual calm Seems resting on the quiet leaves which evening dews em- balm. 'Tis moonlight in my garden; like some fair babe at rest. The day-flower folds its silkj wing upon its pulseless breast , Nor is it vain philosophy to think that plants may keep A holiday of airy dreams beneath their graceful sleep. 11 120 CAROLINEGILMAN. 'Tis morning in my garden; each leaf of crisped green Hangs tremulous in diamond gems with emerald rays between It is the birth of nature ; baptized in early dew, The plants look meekly up and smile as if their God they knew. ♦ My garden — fair and brilliant! — the butterfly outspread Alights with gentle fluttering on the wall-flower's golden head. Then darting to the lily-bed floats o'er its sheeted white, And settles on the violet's cup with fanciful delight. My quiet little garden! — I hear the rolling wheel Of the city's busy multitude along the highway peal, I tread thy paths more fondly, and inhale the circling air That glads and cools me on its way from that wide mart of care. My friendly little garden! few worldly goods have I To tender with o'erflowing heart in blessed charity, But, like the cup of water by a pure disciple given, An herb or flower may tell its tale of kindliness in heaven. * * # * # My faith-inspiring garden ! thy seeds so dark and cold Late slept in utter loneliness amid earth's senseless mould; No sunbeams fell upon them, nor west-wind's gentle breath. But there they lay in nothingness, an image meet of death. Now, lo ! they rise in gorgeous ranks, and glad the eager eye, And on the wooing summer-breeze their odour passes by ; The flower-grave cannot chain them ; the spirit-life upsprings And scatters beauty in its path from thousand unseen wings. My garden ! may the morning dew rest lightly on thy bowers, And summer clouds distil around their most refreshing showers, And when the daily sun withdraws his golden tent above, May moon and stars look watchful down and bless thee with their love. CAROLINE GILMAN* 121 OLD A GE. Why should old age escape unnoticed here, That sacred era to reflection dear? That peaceful shore where passion dies away, Like the last wave that ripples o'er the bay ? Oh, if old age were cancelPd from our lot, Full soon would man deplore the unhallow'd blot . Life's busy day would want its tranquil even. And earth would lose her stepping-stone to heaven. THE child's wish IN JUNE. Mother, mother, the winds are at play, Prithee, let me be idle to-day. Look, dear mother, the flowers all lie Languidly under the bright blue sky. See, how slowly the streamlet glides ; Look, how' the violet roguishly hides; Even the butterfly rests on the rose. And scarcely sips the sweets as he goes. Poor Tray is asleep in the noon-day sun, . And the flies go about him one by one ; And pussy sits near with a sleepy grace, * Without ever thinking of washing her face. There flies a bird to a neighbouring tree. But very lazily flieth he, And he sits and twitters a gentle note. That scarcely ruffles his little throat. You bid me be busy; but, mother, hear How the hum-drum grasshopper soundeth near, And the soft west wind is so light in its play, It scarcely moves a leaf on the spray. 122 CAROLINE GILMAN. I wish, oh, I wish I was yonder cloudj That sails about with its misty shroud; Books and work I no more should see, And I'd come and float, dear mother, o'er thee. THE MOCKING-BIRD IN THE CITY. Bird of the south ! is this a scene to waken Thy native notes in thrilling, gushing tone ? Thy woodland nest of love is all forsaken — Thy mate alone! While stranger-throngs roll by, thy song is lending Joy to the happy, soothings to the sad ; O'er my full heart it flows with gentle blending. And I am glad. And 1 will sing, though dear ones, loved and loving, Are left afar in my sweet nest of home ; Though from that nest, with backward yearnings moving, Onward I roam ! And with heart-music shall my feeble aiding Still swell the note of, human joy aloud; Nor, with untrusting soul, kind Heaven upbraiding, Sigh 'mid the crowd. SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. This excellent lady, whose maiden name was Buell, was born at.New- port, New Hampshire. Her mother was a woman of remarkably clea and cultivated mind, and to her intelligent conversation, and happy talent of communicating- knowledge, Mrs. Hale traces her ov/n delight in learning, and desire for intellectual advancement. She was married when very young to David Hale, Esq., who was a lawyer by profession, and a man whose tastes and feelings were in every way congenial with her own. It was not until his death, in 1822, that she first seriously thought of becoming an authoress ; then, her straitened circumstances, and her affectionate anxiety to procure for her children the advantages of a good education, determined her to put her talents out at interest, and seek in literature the means of gratifying her warm maternal desires. Her first published work was a small volume of Poems ; select- ed from articles written when a girl for her own amusement. The next, Northwood, a novel in two volumes, (chiefly descriptive of New England life,) which was favourably received, and at that time much admired. In 1828, she undertook the editorship of The American Ladies^ Magazine, established in Boston. During her residence in that city, she published Sketches of American Character, Flora's Interpre- ter, Traits of American Life, The Ladies' Wreath, and several books for children. Mrs. Hale has lived in Philadelpliia a number of years past, and is respected there no less for her many virtues and social excellencies, than for her taste and skill zs an author and an editor. The numerous readers of that popular m.agazine. The Lady's Book, are indebted to her for the discriminating judgment with which she gathers, and arranges for their mental refreshment, the fruits and flovvers of genius. She also edits The Opal, a religious annual of much attraction. Three Hours, or .the Vigil of Love ; and other Poems, published in January, 1848, is the largest and latest collection of her poetry. Many of these poems, besides the first, are entirely new, though some we recognize as old friends ; Alice Ray, for instance, a simple story of every-day life, clad in grace- ful rhymes; which contains several exquisite touches of nature, and has .been a universal favourite since its first appearance, in 1345. The smaller poems ir? this volume are marked by that r;hasteness and (123^ 124 SARAH JOSEPHA. HALE. simplicity which invariably characterize Mrs. Hale's writings; while Tron^ and a few others, display much strength of expression, and Driginality of thought. In all, there is some good lesson incul- cated j showing" a healthiness of sentiment, and a soundness of lieart, more vaiuable than the most brilliant imagination. Harry Guy, a Story of the Sea^ has recently appeared from her pen. It is a poem printed in pamphlet form, and was written with the kind intention (which we trust will be fully realized) of doing something in the cause of the much-neglected sailor, " making his condition better understood, his character more highly appreciated." This is another proof that in all the efforts of her industrious mind, the chief object in view is usefulness, the main-spring, benevolence. IRON. "Truth shall spring out of the earth." — Psalms, Ixxxv. 11. As, ill lonely thought, 1 ponder'd On the marv'lous things of earth, And, in fancy's dreaming, wonder'd At their beauty, power, and worth. Came, Jike words of prayer, the feeling — Oh! that God would make me know, Through the spirit's clear revealing — What, of all his works below Is to man a boon the greatest. Brightening on from age to age. Serving truest, earliest, latest. Through the world's long pilgrimage. Soon vast mountains rose before me, Shaggy, desolate and lone. Their scarr'd heads were threat'ning o'er me, Their dark shadows round me thrown ; Then a voice, from out the mountains. As an earthquake shook the ground. And like frighten'd fawns the fountains, Leaping, fled before the sound ; SARAH JOSEPH A HALE. 1^5 And the Anak oaks bow'd lowly, Quivering, aspen-like, with fear — While the deep response came slowly, Or it must have crush'd mine ear ! "Iron! Iron! Iron!" — clashing, Like the battle-axe and shield; Or the sword on helmec clashing, Through a bloody battle-field : " Iron ! Iron ! Iron !" — rolling. Like the far-off cannon's boom ; Or the deatli-knell, slowly tolling. Through a dungeon's charnel gloom ! " Iron ! Iron ! Iron !" — swinging. Like the summer winds at play ; Or as bells of Time were ringing In the blest Millennial Day ! Then the clouds of ancient fable Clear'd away before mine eyes; Truth could tread a footing stable, O'er the gulf of mysteries ! Words, the prophet bards had utter'd, Signs, the oracle foretold. Spells, the weird-like Sibyl mutter'd. Through the twilight days of old. Rightly read, beneath the splendour, Shining now on history's page, All their faithful witness render — All portend a better age. Sisyphus, for ever toiling, Was the type of toiling men, While the stone of power, recoiling, Crush'd them back to earth again! 11* 126 SARAH JOSEPH A HALE Stern Prometheus, bound and bleeding. Imaged man in mental chain. While the vultures, on him feeding, Were the passions' vengeful reign; Still a ray of mercy tarried On the cloud, a white-winged dove. For this mystic faith had married Vulcan to the Queen of love ! Rugged strength and radiant beauty. — These were one in nature's plan ; Humble toil and heavenward duty — These will form the perfect man! Darkly was this doctrine taught us By the gods of heathendom ; But the living light was brought us, When the gospel morn had come ! How the glorious change, expected, Could be wTOUght, was then made free; Of the earthly, when perfected. Rugged Iron forms the key! "Truth from out the earth shall flourish," This the word of God makes known, — Thence are harvests men to nourish — There let Iron's power be shown. Of the swords, from slaughter gory, Ploughshares forge to break the soil ; — Then will Mind attain its glory. Then will Labour reap the spoil, — ■ Error cease the soul to wilder, Crime be check'd by simple good, As the little coral builder Forces back the furious flood. While our faith in good grows stronger. Means of greater good increase; SARAH JO SEP HA HALE. 12"7 Iron, slave of war no longer, Leads the onward march of peace ; , Still new modes of service finding, Ocean, earth, and air it moves, And the distant nations binding. Like the kindred tie it proves; With its Atlas-shoulder sharing Loads of human toil and care ; On its wing of lightning bearing Thought's swift mission through the air.' As the rivers, farthest flowing. In the highest hills have birth; As the banyan, broadest growing, Oftenest bows its head to earth, — So the noblest minds press onward. Channels far of good to trace ; So the largest hearts bend downward. Circling all the human race ; Thus, by Iron's aid, pursuing Through the earth their plans of love, Men our Father's will are doing. Here, as angels do above. THE CHASE OF PLEASURE. We all are children in our strife to seize Each petty pleasure, as it lures the sight : And like the tall tree, swaying in the breeze. Our lofty wishes stoop their towering flight, Till, when the aim is won, it seems no more Than gather'd shell from ocean's countless store. Or, like the boy, -vvhose eager hand is raised To seize the shining fly that folds its wings. We grasp the pleasure, and then stand amazed To find how small the real good it brings' 128 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. The joy is in the chase — so finds the boy — When seized, then he must los^ it, or destroy. And yet the child will have enjoyment true. The sweet and simple pleasure of success ; He reasons not, as older minds would do, How he shall show the world his happiness : And, wiser than the crowds who seek display, His own glad earnest purpose makes him gay. And ever those who would enjoyment gain. Must find it in the purpose they pursue; The sting of falsehood loses half its pain If our own soul bear witness — we are true! What matter though the scorn of fools be giv^n, If the path followed lead us on to heaven I THE FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER. "There's wisdom in the grass, its teachings would we heed.** There knelt beneath the tulip tree A maiden fair and young; The flowers o'erhead bloom'd gorgeously, As though by rainbows flung. And all around were daisies bright, And pansies with their eyes of light. Like gold the sun-kiss'd crocus shone, With beauty's smiles the earth seem'd strown, And Love's warm incense fill'd the air. While the fair girl was kneeling there. In vain the flowers may woo around,— Their charms she does not see. For she a dearer prize has found ^ Beneath the tulip tree; — SARAH JOSEPH A HALE. 129 A little four-leaved clover^ green As robes that grace the fairy queen, And fresh as hopes of early youth, When life is love, and love is truth; — A talisman of constant love, This humble clover sure will prove ! And on her heart, that gentle maid The sever'd leaves has press'd. Which through the coming night's dark sliade Beneath her cheek will rest ; Then precious dreams of one will rise. Like Love's own star in morning skies, So sweetly bright, we would the day His glowing chariot might delay; — What tomes of pure and tender thought Those simple leaves to her have taught! Of old the sacred mistletoe The Druid's altar bound; The Roman hero's haughty brow The fadeless laurel crown'd. Dark superstition's sway is past. And \yar's red star is waning fast, Nor mistletoe, nor laurel hold The mystic language breathed of old; For nature's life no power can give^ To bid the false and selfish live. But still the olive-leaf imparts, As when, dove-borne, at first. It taught heaven's lore to human hearts^ Its hope, and joy, and trust; Nor deem t?ie faith from folly springs, Which innocent enjoyment brings; Better from earth root every flower, Than crush imagination's power, 130 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. In true and loving minds, to raise An Eden for their coming days. As on each rock, where plants can cling, The sunshine will be shed; As from the tiniest star-lit spring, The ocean's depths are fed; Thus hopes will rise, if love's clear ray Keep warm and bright life's rock-strewn way 5 And from small, daily joys, distill'd. The heart's deep fount of peace is fill'd ; -™ Oh! blest when Fancy's ray is given, Like the ethereal spark, from heaven ! THE WATCHER. The night was dark and fearful, The blast swept wailing by; A Watcher, pale and tearful, Look'd forth with anxious eye; How wistfully she gazes — "No gleam of morn is there ! And then her heart upraises Its agony of prayer! Within that dwelling lonely, Where want and darkness reign^ Her precious child, her only, Lay moaning in his pain; And death alone can free him — She feels that this must be : "But oh! for morn to see him Smile once again on me !" A hundred lights are glancing , In yonder mansion fair, SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. 131 And merry feet are dancing — They heed not morning there . Oh! young and lovely creatures, One lamp, from out your store. Would give that poor boy's features To her fond gaze once more. The morning sun is shining — She heedeth not its ray; Beside her dead, reclining. That pale, dead mother lay ! A smile her lip was wreathing, A smile of hope and love, As though she still were breathmg — " There 's light for us above 1" I SING TO HIM. I SING to him I I dream he hears The song he used to love. And oft that blessed fancy cheers And bears my thoughts above. Ye say. His idle thus to dream — But why believe it so ? it is the spirit's meteor gleam, To soothe the pang of woe. Love gives to nature's voice a tone That true hearts understand, — The sky, the earth, the forest lone Are peopled by his wand; Sweet fancies -all our pulses thrill While gazing on a flower, And from the gently whisp'ring rill Are heard the words of power. 132 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE I breathe the dear and cherish'd name, And long-lost scenes arise; Life's glowing landscape spreads the same; The same Hope's kincjling skies; — The violet b;ank, the moss-fringed seat Beneath the drooping tree, The clock that chimed the hour to meet. My buried love, with thee; — O, these are all before me, when In fancy's realms I rove; Why urge me to the world again ? Why say the ties of love. That death's cold, cruel grasp has riven, Unite no :inore below ? I'll sing to him, — for though in heaven. He surely heeds my wo' DESCRIPTION OP ALICE RAY. (FROM ALICE R AY . ) The birdij their love-notes warble Among the blossom'd trees; The flowers are sighing forth their swecif To wooing honey-bees; The glad brook o'er a pebbly floor Goes dancing on its way; — But not a thing is so like spring As happy Alice Ray. An only child was Alice, And, like the blest above, The gentle maid had ever breathed An atmosphere of love ; SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. 133 Her father's smile like sunshine came, Like dew her mother's kiss, Their love and goodness made her home, Like heaven, the place of bliss. Beneath such tender training, The joyous child had sprung, Like one bright flower, in wild-wood bower, And gladness round her flung; And all who met her bless'd her. And turned again to pray. That grief and care might ever spare The happy Alice Ray. The gift that made her charming Was not from Venus caught; " Nor was it, Pallas-like, derived From majesty of thought; — Her healthful cheek was tinged with brown, Her hair without a curl ; But then her eyes were love-lit stars, Her teeth as pure as pearl. And when in merry laughter Her sweet, clear voice was heard. It well'd from out her happy heart Like carol of a bird ; And all who heard were moved to smiles, As at some mirthful lay. And, to the stranger's look, replied — - " 'T is that dear Alice Ray." And so she came, like sunbeams That bring the April green; As type of nature's royalty, They call'd her "Woodbum's Queen!" 12 134 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. A sweet, heart-lifting cheerfulncbs, Like spring-time of the year, Seem'd ever on her steps to wait, — No wonder she was dear. THE MISSISSIPPI. Monarch of Rivers in the wide domain Where Freedom writes her signature in stars, And bids her Eagle bear the blazing scroll. . To usher in the reign of peace and love, Thou mighty Mississippi ! — may my song Swell with thy power, and though an humble rill, Roll, like thy current, through the sea of Time, Bearing thy name, as tribute from my soul Of fervent gratitude and holy praise. To Him who pour'd thy multitude of waves Shadow'd beneath those ^vful piles of stone. Where Liberty has found a Pisgah height, O'erlooking all the land she loves to bless. The jagged rocks and icy towers her guard. Whose splinter'd summits seize the warring clouds, And roll them, broken, like a host overthrown, Adown the Mountain's side, scattering their wealth Of powder'd pearl and liquid diamond drops, — There is thy Source, — great River of the West! Slowly, like youthful Titan gathering strength To war with heaven and win himself a name. The stream moves onward through the dark ravines, Rending- the roots of over-arching trees. To form its narrow channel, where the star. That fain would bathe its beauty in the wave. Like lover's glance steals, trembling, through the leaves SARAH JOSEPH A HALE. 135 That veil the waters with a vestal's care; — And few of human form have ventured there, Save the swart savage in his bark canoe. But now it deepens, struggles, rushes on ; Like goaded war-horse, bounding o'er the foe, It clears the rocks it may not spurn aside. Leaping, as Curtius leap'd adown the gulf. And rising, like Antseus from the fall, Its course majestic through the Land pursues, And the broad Kiver o'er the Valley reigns ! It reigns alone. The tributary streams Are humble vassals, yielding to its sway. And when the wild Missouri fain would join A rival in the race — as Jacob seized On his red brother's birth-right, even so The swelling Mississippi grasps that wave, And, rebaptizing, makes the waters one. It reigns alone — and Earth the sceptre feels : — Her ancient trees are bow'd beneath the wave. Or, rent like reeds before the whirlwind's swoop, Toss on the bosom of the madden'd flood, A floating forest, till the waters, calm'd. Like slumbering anaconda gorged with prey, Open a haven to the moving mass, Or form an island in the dark abyss. It reigns alone. Old Nile would ne'er bedew The Lands it blesses with its fertile tide. Even sacred Ganges, joined with Egypt's flood, Would shrink beside this wonder of the West' Ay, gather Europe's royal Rivers all — The snow-swell'd Neva, with an Empire's weiglii On her broad breast, she yet may overwhelm; Dark Danube, hurrying, as by foe pursued, 1 36 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. Througn shaggy forests and from palace walls, To hide its terrors in a sea of gloom ; The castled Rhine, whose vine-crown'd waters flow, The fount of fable and the source of song; The rushing Rhone, in whose cerulean depths The loving sky seems wedded with the wave; The yellow Tiber, choked with Roman spoils, A dying miser shrinking 'neath his gold ; And Seine, where Fashion glasses fairest forms; And Thames, that bears the riches of the world ; Gather their waters in one ocean mass, — Our Mississippi, rolling proudly on. Would sweep them from its path, or swallow up, Like Aaron's rod, these streams of fame and song! And thus the Peoples, from the many Lands, Where these old streams are household memories. Mingle beside our River, and are one; And join to swell the strength of Freedom's tide, . That from the fount of Truth is flowing on. To sweep Earth's thousand tyrannies away. How wise — how wonderful the works of God! And, hallow'd by his goodness, all are good. The creeping glow-worm — the careering sun Are kindled from the effluence of his light'. The ocean and the acorn-cup are fiU'd By gushings from the fountain of his love. He pour'd the Mississippi's torrent forth. And heaved its tide above the trembling land,— Grand type how Freedom lifts the Citizen Above the subject masses of the world — And mark'd the limits it may never pass. Trust in His promises, and bless His power, Ye dwellers on its banks, and be at peace. SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. 1 37 And ye, whose way is on this warrior wave, When the swoln waters heave with ocean's might, And storms and darkness close the gate of heaven. And the frail bark, fire-driven, bounds quivering on, As though it rent the iron shroud of night, And struggled with the demons of the flood — Fear nothing! He who shields the folded flower. When tempests rage, is ever present here. Lean on "Our Father's" breast in faith and prayer, •And Sleep, — His arm of love is strong to save. Great Source of Being, Beauty, Light and Love ! Creator ! Lord ! the waters worship thee ! Ere thy creative smile had sown the flowers; Ere the glad hills leap'd upward, or the earth, With swelling bosom, waited for her child; Before eternal Love had lit the sun. Or Time had traced his dial-plate in stars, The joyful anthem of the waters flow'd;— • And Chaos like a frighten'd felon fled. While on the Deep the Holy Spirit moved. And evermore the Deep has worshipp'd God; And Bards and Prophets tune their mystic lyres. While listening to the music of the floods. Oh ! could I catch this harmony of sounds. As borne on dewy wings they float to heaven. And blend their meaning with my closing strain ! Hark ! as a reed-harp thrill'd by whispering winds, Or Naiad murmurs from a pearl-lipp'd shell, It comes — the melody of many waves ! And loud, with Freedom's world-awaking note. The deep-toned Mississippi leads the choir. — The pure sweet Fountains chant of heavenly hope; The chorus of the Rills is household love; 12* 138 SARAH JOSEPH A HALE.. The Rivers roll their song of social joy; And Ocean's organ voice is sounding forth The Hymn of Universal Brotherhood ! THE FIRST SWALLOW. "One swallow does not make a summer." — Old Pkovekd. Out on the wisdom frozen By ice-cold doubts and fears! Why should life's path be chosen Through sorrow's vale of tears ? A child, how I detested The " ifs" and " buts" to hear, When, with Hope's charm invested. Some promised joy was near: Still in my heart is shining The light divine, which lends 5ach cloud a silver lining. O'er storms a rainbow bends. Then welcome little swallow, Thou 'It bring the summer fair — With pleasant thoughts I follow Thy waltzing through the air; What though bright flowers have faded. That once my pathway bless'd, What though green bowers are sliaded, Where sunshine used to rest : Yet still my soul rejoices. And every shadow flies. When nature's thousand voices, In summer gladness rise. There's not a plant that springeth, But bears some good to earth — SARAH JOSEPHA HAI. E. 139 There's not a life but bfingeth Its store of harmless mirth — The dusty way-side clover Has honey in its cells, The wild bee, humming over. Her tale of pleasure tells ; The osiers, o'er the fountain. Keep cool the water's breast, And on the roughest mountain The softest moss is press'd. Thus holy Wisdom teaches The worth of blessings small. That Love pervades, and reaches^ And forms the bliss of all; The trusting eye, joy-seeking, Some Eden finds or makes. The glad voice, kindly speaking, Some kindred tone awakes : Nor need we power or splendour, . Wide hall or lordly dome ; - The good, the true, the tender. These form the wealth of home. The pilgrim swallow cometh To her forsaken nest — So must the heart that roameth Return, to find its rest. Where Love sheds summer's lustre,— And wheresoe'er 'tis found. There sweetest flowers will cluster, And dearest joys abound ; Thus Heaven to all doth render The prize of happiness ; The good, the true, the tender. Earth's lowliest lot may bless. 140 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. BONDS. " He is a freeman whom the truth makes free, And all are slaves beside." COWPEK. Ye may place the trusty guard, Bolt the dark and narrow room, Bind the heavy fetter hard, Till the links the flesh consume; Never, never, thus confined, Will enslaved the prisoner be — There 's no fetter on his mind ; And the spirit will be free, — If stern memory's thrilling tone Wake no terrors in his heart ; In the vision'd future, shown. If he act the lofty part. Ye may bar him from the air. And the light of heaven forbid, — There 's a region fresh and fair, And its smile can ne'er be hid From the meek and trusting eyes, Looking upward steadily; And his thoughts will thus arise, Till he triumphs with the free, — If his soul have never bow'd When a golden Image shone — If among the servile crowd. He would follow Truth alone; Ye may deck the lofty hall With the wealth of earth and sea. And, in splendour over all Wave the banners of the free — SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. 141 Ye may crown the conqueror there, With the laurels of the brave; 'Mid the honours ye prepare, He shall feel himself a slave, — If ambition rule his thought, And the highest place he ask, All the labours he has wrought Are but scourges to his task. Ye may twine the living flowers Where the living fountains glide, And beneath the rosy bowers Let the selfish man abide. And the birds upon the wing. And the barks upon the wave. Shall no sense of freedom bring ; All is slavery to the slave ! Mammon's close-link'd bonds have bound him, Self-imposed, and seldom burst; Though heaven's waters gush around him. He would pine with earth's poor thirst. THE TWO MAIDENS. One came with light and laughing air. And cheek like opening blossom. Bright gems were twined amid her hair, And glitter'd on her bosom. And pearls and costly diamonds deck Her round white arms and lovely neck. Like summer's sky, with stars bedight, The jewell'd robe around her. And dazzling as the noon-tide light The radiant zone that bound her, — And pride and joy were in her eye. And mortals bow'd as she pass'd by. 142 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. Another came — o'er her sweet face A pensive shade was stealing; Yet there no grief of earth w^e trace, But heaven-hallow'd feeling, Which mourns the heart should ever stray From the pure fount of Truth away. Around her brow, as snow-drop fair, The glossy tresses cluster, Nor pearl, nor ornament was there, Save the meek spirit's lustre ; — And faith and hope beam'd in her eye. And angels bow'd as she pass'd by. IS CHINA OUR NEIGHBOUR? And Jesus said, Which was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? — And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likev/ise. — St. Luke. Can China be our neighbour, And yet receive no care ? Shall Christians cease their labour, And leave her to despair? Her children, sunk in sorrow. Are sick with many ills, To-day is sad — -to-morrow A deeper shadow fills. And bow'd in tribulation, No light athwart the gloom. That old and haughty nation Seems hastening to her doom ; The cup of woe is tasted, — And must she, 'neath war's frown, Like Babylon be wasted ? Like Egypt trodden down ? SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. 143 Oh! when those nations perish'd, No Saviour's name was known, • No brother's love was cherish'd — No Christian kindness shown; Now, where 's the heart so frozen But feels the G ospel ray ? And we, as Freedom's chosen, Should lead in Mercy's way. As gentle dews, distillmg, Cause wither'd plants to live, So Love, her work fulfilling, Her alms and prayers must give; Till China's millions, breaking From sin's dark bonds, arise. Like death to life awaking, When Christ descends the skies! As early flowers, upspringing. Proclaim the opening year. So love and hope are bringing The day of promise near; — Each tear by pity given. Each mite in faith bestow'd. Makes earth more like to heaven. Where all is done for God. THE POWER OF MUSIC. When Orpheus struck his burning lyre, Mute Nature caught creative fire, Rough stones obey'd the swelling sound, In mystic measure moved around. Till, polish'd by the harmony. The finish'd structure, grand and free, Rose like the star that heralds day. To show Man's Mind its work and way! 144 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. The sword may sever slavery's chain, The strong arm crush the tyrant's reign, As lightning from the lm*id sky * Shatters and scathes the Temple high; — But 'tis the sweet-voiced Spring that calls r^he ivy o'er the broken walls, And gently swaying in the blasts. The fragile plant the Pile outlasts. And thus the power of Music's breath Re-clothes the wastes of Time and Death. • The "blind old man" begins his strain, And Greece is "living Greece" again! The Songs that flow'd on Zion's Hill Are chanted in God's Temple still. And to the eye of faith unfold The glories of His House of old ! Each Prophet-Bard of ancient days Still breathes for us his lofty lays ; The words that bear a mission high, If Music-hallow'd, never die ; — And thus Religion, Law and Art, Sow their choice seeds in every heart; From age to age the Song flows on. And blends fresh life with glories gone A mystery this — but who can see The soft south wind that sways the tree« And warms its vital flood to flow, And wakes its folded buds to blow? — Even thus the Power of Music, felt, The soul is sway'd, the heart will melt, Till Love and Hope so bless the Hours, Life's dial-plate is mark'd by flowers. SARAH JOSEPHA HALE. !45 And every Temple Art has rear'd Some truth has taught, some error clear'd; But only Music's voice leads on, When Time is o'er and Heaven is won ; The Angel-Art to mortals taught — The golden chord of human thouglit, When pure, and tuned by Faith and Love, Link'd with the golden harps above ! IT SNOWS. '"Ir snows!" cries the School-boy — "hurrah!" and his sliout Is "inging through parlour and hall. While swift, as the wing of a swallow, he 's out, And his playmates have answer'd his call : It' makes the heart leap but to witness their joy; Proud wealth has no pleasures, I trow, Like the rapture that throbs in the pulse of the boy, As he gathers his treasures of snow. Then lay not the trappings of gold on thine heirs. While health and the riches of Nature are theirs. *'It snow^s !" sighs the Imbecile — "Ah!" and his breatfi Comes heavy, as clogg'd with a weight; While from the pale aspect of Nature in death,' He turns to the blaze of his grate ; And nearer, and nearer, his soft cushion'd chair Is wheel?d toward the life-fcivincf flame — He dreads a chill puff of the snow-burden'd air, Lest it wither his delicate frame : Oh! small is the pleasure existence can give. When the fear v/e shall die only proves that we live? "It snows!" cries the Traveller — "Ho!" and the word Has quicken'd his iSteed's lagging pace ; 13 K 146 SARAH JOSEPH A HALE. The wind rushes by, but its howl is unheard, Unfelt the sharp drift in his face; For bright through the tempest his own home appearM—- Ay, though leagues intervened, he can see ; There 's the clear, glowing hearth, and the table prepared. And his wife with their babes at her knee. Blest thought! how it lightens the grief-laden hour. That those we love dearest are safe from its power. "It snows!" cries the Belle — "Dear, how lucky!" and turns From her mirror to watch the flakes fall ; Like the first rose of summer, her dimpled cheek burns, While musing on sleigh-ride and ball : There are visions of conquests, of splendour, and mirth, Floating over each drear winter's day ; But the tintings of Hope, on this snow-beaten earth, Will melt, like the snow-flakes, away : Turn, turn thee to Heaven, fair maiden, for bliss. That world has a pure fount ne'er open'd in this. "It snows!" cries the Widow — "O God!" and her sighs Have stifled the voice of her prayer; Its burden ye '11 read in her tear-swollen eyes, On her cheek, sunk wdth fasting and care. 'Tis night — and her fatherless ask her for bread — But " He gives the young ravens their food," And she trusts, till her dark hearth adds horror to dread And she lays on her last chip of wood. Poor sufl"'rer! that sorrow thy God only knows — 'Tis a most bitter lot to be poor, when it snows! MARIA JAMES Was born in Wales, about the year 1795, and accompanied her parents, to this country when she was seven years old. They were a poor but pious and industrious couple, and took pains to implant in Maria's mind that fear of God and love to man, which made her the conscientious, modest, and trustworthy person she really was. They settled near the Etate quarries of Clinton, New York, which were worked chiefly by Welsh people. After two years of schooling, Maria entered the family of Mrs. Garretson, of Rhinebeck, (widow of the late Rev. Freeborn Garretson, and sister to the Hon. Edward Livingston,) to be tramed as a- domestic, where she had many opportunities of improving herself, and was treated with the utmost kindness and attention. Here she first attempted to give expression to the poetical thoughts that were avv^akened within; but shrank with instinctive modesty from the name of poet, which was bestowed on her by the family. She remained until her seventeenth year with Mrs, Garretson, when she was sent to New York, to learn dress-making. This did not agree with her, however; so she sought and filled for some time the situation of nurse in the family of Cle- ment C. Moore, LL. D., of New York. After an absence of -eight or nine years, she returned to Rhinebeck, and proved " the dignity of serving" by her faithfulness and quiet zeal in the family of her beloved mistress. Her taste for intellectual pleasures never interfered with or spoiled the performance of her humble domestic duties; but while occupied in her daily housework, she composed her best pieces, though weeks would sometimes elapse before she committed them to paper. Nearly all have been collected into a volume, called Wales and other Poems, which was published in 1839, with an able introduction by Dr. Potter; who says, " Some of these pieces will be found, I trust, to breathe the true spirit of poetry; none will question that they breathe a yet nobler spirit, the spirit of true piety." Maria James is a striking illustration of the fact that true genius, refinement, and real worth, are often found in stations where we- least expect them. (147) 148 MARIA JAMES. THE TWILIGHT HOUR. The liues of parting day Are fading in the west, And now the twilight gray Invites the swain to rest; A welcome pause, a moment given To lift the thoughts from earth to heaven. ]S"ow memoiy wakes the grief. The joys long, long gone by ; Nor heeds the rustling leaf The breeze's gentle sigh : Dreams of the past, that come with power To haunt us at the twilight hour. Eise, grov'ler! stay no more, But stretch thy feeble wings, And strive by faith to soar Above terrestrial things ; Where morn, and noon, and twilight gray^ Are lost in one eternal day. CHRISTMAS. Let us chaunt the solemn lay, Let us celebrate the day. Hail with joy the auspicious morn 5 When the Son of Man was born. Eastern sages, journeying far. Saw ye not that beauteous star Shed its brightest, purest ray. Where the King of Glory lay? MA 11 I A JAMES. 149 Shepherds on Judea's plain, Heard ye not the blissful strain. When the" messengers of light Broke the silence of the night? Babe of Beth'lem, lowly laid! Angels hover round thy bed, Pausing o'er the tuneful lyre. As they wonder and admire. Hope of Israel! welcome thou? Every tribe to thee shall bow. Every tongue thy right proclaim, Every land adore thy name. Prince of Peace ! thy reign shall be Wide as earth from sea to sea; Where is now nor love nor fear. There thy glorious standard rear. Where the western wilds have lain. Ages bound in error's chain, There, thy saving power they prove There, they chaunt redeeming love Ethiopia's vail is riven ; Lo, she lifts her hands to heaven! See her raise the imploring eye I Hear her sable offspring cry : — "Pour, oh pour the matchless strain, Sounded once on Judah's plain! Sweetest song since time began : 'Peace on earth, — good-will to man!''' 18 1 50 M A R I A J A M E S , GOOD-FRIDAY. The scene is fresh before us. When Jesus dram'd the cup. As new the day comes o'er us, When He was pffer'd up : The veil in sunder rending, The types and shadows flee, While heaven and earth are bending Their gaze on Calvary. Should mortal dare in numbers, Where angels trembling stand ? Or wake the harp that slumbers In flaming seraph's hand ? Then tell the wond'rous story Where rolls salvation's wave. And give him all the glory. Who came the lost to save. THE PICTURE. These lines were suggested by the' writer's calling to see a very aged mtl venerable lady, (widow of the late Benjamin Moore,) whom she found sitting for her picture. New York, June 4th, 1838. Ere dissolves the house of clay. Ere the vision melts away. Ere descend the tottering walls. Ere the sacred mantle falls. Lay the colouring, — mingle there Mary's love and Martha's care : Hers an ear for others' woe. Hers the hand, the heart to do; But in serving had she rest. But in blessing was she bless'd. JESSIE G. m'cARTEE. 151 WHAT IS POETRY? A, LAMBENT flame within the breast; A thought harmoniously express'd; A distant meteor's glimmering ray; A light that often leads astray; ^ harp, whose ever-varying tone , Might waken to the breeze's moan A lake, in whose transparent face Fair nature's lovely form we trace; A blooming flower, in gardens rare, Yet found in deserts ble^ik and bare; A charm o'er every object thrown; A bright creation of its own ; A burst of feeling, warm and wild. From nature's own impassion'd child. JESSIE G. M'CAETEE. Although the subject of this notice is entirely unknown to the Ute- rary world, never having written a book, or contributed to the maga- zines of the day, or imprinted her poetry anywhere except in the hearts of her family, and now and then in the pages of a country newspaper ; yet we are gratified by the permission so kindly granted us, to place her pure and pious lays among those of the acknowledged Amer- ican poetesses. Mrs. M'Cartee is the wife of the Rev. Dr. M'Cartee, of Goshen, Orange cownty, N. Y., where she has lived for a number of years, quietly and meekly fulfilling her responsible duties as a minister's wife, and the mother of a very large family. Her father, Mr. Divie Bethune, came from Scotland at an early age, and settled as a merchant in New York; where his active philanthropy, and unos- tentatious benevolence, made him known to all classes, rich and pcx)r ; 152 JESSIE G. m'cartee. while, in a smaller circle, he was held up as a pattern of those virtues and graces which made him a perfect Christian gentleman. He died in 1824. Her mother is a daughter of the celebrated Isabella Graham, (whose name is too universally loved and honoured to need a word in passing, pleasant though it would be to render a tribute of grateful reverence to her memory,) and is herself distinguished in the religious world, for her unwearying energy and unfailing zeal in the cause of mffering humanity. " She stretcheth out her hand to the poor ; yea, she reacheth forth her hand to the needy;" while multitudes of orphan "children rise up and call her blessed." Dr. Bethune of Philadelphia, the poet, orator, and divine, is the only brother of Mrs. M'Cartee. She has written much, (though not for publication,) having felt all her life the joy and consolation of poetry, and that nothing was sweeter than to sit in her quiet parsonage, while her fingers were busy with her needle, and weave her peaceful thoughts into pleasant rhymes or holy hymns. HOW BEAUTIFUL IS SLEEP. Hov»r beautiful is sleep ! Upon its mother's breast, How sweet the infant's rest ! And who but she can tell how dear Her first-born's breathings 'tis to hear. Gentle babe, prolong thy slumbers ! When the moon her light doth shed ; Still she rocks thy cradle bed, Singing in melodious numbers, Lulling thee with prayer or hymn, When all other eyes are dim. How beautiful is sleep! " Behold the merry boy ! His dreams Eire full of joy. He breaks the stillness of the night With tuneful laugh of wild delight. JESSIE G. m'cARTEE. 15^ E'en in sleep, his sports pursuing, Tlirough the woodland's leafy Avild, Now he roams a happy child, Flow'rets all his pathway strewing; And the morning's balmy air Brings to him no toil or care. How beautiful is sleep! Where youthful Jacob slept, Angels their bright watch kept, And visions to his soul were given, That led him to the gate of Heaven. Exiled Pilgrim ! many a morrow, When thine earthly schemes were cross'd, Mourning o'er thy loved and lost, Thou didst sigh with holy soitow For that blessed hour of prayer, And exclaim., God met me there! How blessed was that sleep The sinless Saviour knew! In vain the storm winds blew, Till he awoke to others' woes, And hush'd the billows to repose. Why did ye the master waken. ? Faithless ones ! there came an hour, When, alone in mountain bower, By his loved ones all forsaken. He was left to pray and weep. When ye all were v/rapp'd in sleep. How beautiful is sleep! The sleep that Christians know : Ye mourners ! cease your woe, While soft upon his Saviour's breast The Righteous sinks to endless rest. 154 JESSIE G. m'cartee. Let him go! the day is breaking, Watch no more around his bed, For his parted soul hath fled. Bright will be his heavenly waking! And the morn that greets his sight, Never ends in death or nio^ht. THE STREAM IN THE DESERT. *' The Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, well: sing ve unto it.-' — Numbers xxi. IG, 17. From the parch'd bosom of the desert burstmg, Spring forth, oh stream, to bless us on our w^ay; Revive our fainting spirits, cheer the thirsting, Spring forth ! and let thy crystal waters play. Flow on rejoicing, through the deep wilds wending. Till the green herb shall blossom on thy brink. And wild gazelles o'er thy bright bosom bending. Shall quaff from thee their cool refreshing drink. Roll on! not long we pitch our tents beside thee. Pure fountain for our fainting spirits made ! Yet He who bade thee flow can fill and guide thee. When far from thee our pilgrim feet have stray'd. Still on thy waters may the sunbeams quiver. And the mild moon shed down her silver light, Till with the billows of some ancient river Thy sparkling treasures mingle and unite. Thus spake the Hebrews, in the desert singing, Asking in faith what God design'd to give. And the glad water from the dry sands springing, Burst forth, and bade the dying pilgrim live. JESSIE G. m'cARTEE. 15t) THE DEATH OF MOSES. ' Led by his God, on Pisgah's height The pilgrim-prophet stood; When iirst fair Canaan bless'd his sight, And Jordan's crystal flood. Behind him lay the desert gromid His weary feet had trod , While Israel's host encamp'd around. Still guarded by their God. With joy the aged Moses smiled On all his wanderings past, While thus he pour'd his accents mild Upon the mountain blast : — " I see them all before me now, — The city and the plain, From where bright Jordan's waters flow. To yonder boundless main. " Oh ! there, the lovely promised land With milk and honey flows; Now, now, my weary murm'ring band Shall find their sweet repose. "There groves of palm and myrtle spread O'er valleys fair and wide; The lofty cedar rears its head On every mountain side. "For them the rose. of Sharon flinga Her fragrance on the gale; And th^re the golden lily springsj, The lily of the vale. 156 JESSIE G. m'cartee. "Amid the olive's fruitful boughs Is heard a song of love, For. there doth build and breathe her vows The gentle turtle-dove. " For them shall bloom the clustering vine, The fig-tree shed her flowers, The citron's golden treasures shine From out her greenest bowers. " P^or them, for them, but not for me, Their fruits I may not eat; Not Jordan's stream, nor yon bright sea, Shall lave my pilgrim feet. "'Tis well, 'tis well, my task is done, Since Israel's sons are blest; Father, receive thy dying one To thy eternal rest!" Alone he bade the world farewell^ To God his spirit fled. Now to your tents, oh ! Israel, And mourn your prophet dead ' THE HEAVENLY SONG. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. "> — Rev v. 22. All hail to thee ! All hail to thee ! Thou Lamb enthroned in glory; We '11 praise thee through eternity. And cast our crowns before thee. No more the helpless babe who slept In Bethlehem's lowly manger. Nor Man of sorrows, he who wept, On earth a lonely stranger. MRS. G R A Y. i £7 No thorny crown is round thy brow, No more in anguish bleeding, Angelic hosts before thee bow, But not for mercy pleading. Thy blood-bought flock all safely rest Within thy fold in heaven ; Their happy souls for ever blest, Their many sins forgiven. All hail to thee! All hail to thee! Thou Lamb enthroned in glory, We'll praise thee through eternity, And cast our crowns before thee! MRS. GRAY fs a native of the north of Ireland, but came in early youth to thia country. The modest and beautiful flower of her poetical genius, (which might be called a sensitive plant, so shrinkingly fearful it is of being brought into notice,) belongs therefore to America^ though the seeds of it were sown in " the green isle" of her childhood. Her father's name was William Lewers ; he resided in Castle-blayney, where she was born about the year 1800. On her mother's side, she is connected with Sir Thomas Browne, a Major-General in the Honourable East India Company, and other distinguished officers in the British army. On her father's side, she claims relationship with several of the warrior-patriots of the American Revolution. Her husband, Dr. John Gray, is, and haa been for more than twenty-five years, pastor of the first Presbyterian church in Easton, Pennsylvania. Their residence is situated among the beautiful and romantic scenes that ' surround the " Forks of the Delaware ;" scenes well calculated to inspire poetry, and foster devo- tional feeling in those who look " through Nature up to Nature's God. 1 /I '" 163 MKS. GRAY. Mrs. Gray's effusions are all of a serious cast. Her Sabbath Remin- iscences is a \dvid and truthful picture of persons and places embalmed in her affectionate memory. It has been published in an English periodical, as presenting a favourable specimen of American poetry. We will not trust ourselves to speak the fervent praises its heart- melting simplicity awakes; but to us it is far more useful than the most learned and eloquent sermon could be, upon the fourth command- ment. Two hundred years ago kindles enthusiasm as one reads it, for it is full of holy fire, and has moreover a sound like a far-reaching trumpet, full of exultation and triumph. Morn was published, without the writer's knowledge, in England, where it was so highly appreciated as to be translated into other languages. James Montgomery, of Shef- field, says, in a letter to Dr. Gray, " The critics who have mistaken the beautiful stanzas, ' Morn,' for mine, have done me honour ; but I willingly forego the claim, and am happy to recognise a sister-poet in the writer." As a writer of strictly religious poetry, Mrs. Gray is, in our estimation, almost unrivalled. SABBATH REMINISCENCES. I REMEMBER, I remember, when Sabbath morning rose, We changed, for garments neat and clean, our soiled and week-day clothes ; And yet no gaud nor finery, no brooch nor jewel rare, But hands and- faces polish'd bright, and smoothly-parted hair 'T was not the decking of the head, my father used to say. But careful clothing of the heart, that graced that holy day; 'T was not the bonnet nor the dress ; — and I believed it true, But those were very simple times, and I was simple too. I remember, I remember, the parlour where we met; Its paper'd walls, its polish'd floor, and mantel black as jet, 'T was there we raised the morning hymn, melodious, sweet and clear. And join'd in prayer with that loved voice which we no mora may hear. MRS. GRAY. 159 Our morning sacrifice thus made, then to the house of God, How solemnly, and silently, and cheerfully we trod ! I see e'en now its low-thatch'd roof, its floor of trodden clay And our old Pastor's time-worn face, and wig of silver gray. I remember, I remember, how hush'd and mute we were. While he led our spirits up to God, in heartfelt, melting prayer ; To grace his action or his voice no studied charm was lent, Pure, fervent, glowing from the heart, so to the heart it went. Then came the sermon long and qirnint, but full of gospel truth, — Ah me ! I was no judge of that, for I was then a youth ; But I have heard my father say, and well my father knew, In it was meat for full-grown men, and milk for children too. I remember, I remember, as 'twere but yesterday, The Psalms in Rouse's version sung, a rude but lovely lay; Nor yet, though fashion's hand has tried to train my way- ward ear. Can I find aught in modern verse so holy or so dear! And well do I remember too our old precentor's face, As he read out and sung the line with patriarchal grace; Though rudely rustic was the sound, I 'm suffe that God was praised. When David's words to David's* tune, five hundred voices raised. I remember, I remember, the morning sermon done. And hour of intermission come, we wander'd in the sun ; — How hoary farmers sat them down upon the daisy sod, And talk'd of bounteous nature's stores, and nature's bounteous God ; * St. David's was* one of the few tunes used by the congregatior: alluded to. 160 MRS. GRAY. And matrons talk'd, as matrons will, of sickness and of health Of births, and deaths, and marriages, of poverty and wealth • And youths and maidens stole apart, within the shady grove, And whisper'd 'neath its spreading boughs, perchance some tale of love. I remember, I remember, how to the church-yard lone I've stolen away, and sat me down beside the rude grave- stone. Or read the names of those who slept beneath the. clay-cold clod. And thought of spirits glittering bright before the throne of God; Or where the little rivulet danced sportively and bright, Receiving on its limpid breast the sun's meridian light, I 've wander'd forth, and thought if hearts w^ere pure like this sweet stream. How fair to heaven they might reflect heaven's "uncreated beam I remember, I remember, the second sermon o'er. We turn'd our faces once again to our paternal door; And round the well-filPd, ample board, sat no reluctant guest, F'or exercise gave appetite, and loved ones shared the feast. Then ere the sunset hour arrived, as Vv^e were wont to do. The Catechism's* v/ell-conn'd page, we said it through and through. And childhood's faltering tongue was heard to lisp the holy word. And older voices read aloud the message of the Lord. Away back in those days of yore, perhaps the fault was mine, T used to think the Sabbath-day, dear Lord, was wholly thine ; When it behoved to keep the heart, and bridle fast tho tongue, But those were very simple times, and I was very young ; — M R S. G II A Y. 161 The world has grown much older since those aiin-brigi it Sab- bath days, The world has grown much older since, and she has changed her ways ; Some say that she has wiser grown, - ah me ! it may be true, As wisdom comes by length of days — but so does dotage too. Oh ! happy, happy days of youth, how beautiful, hov/ fair, To memory's retrospective eye, your trodden pathways are! The thorns forgot, remember'd still the fragrance and the flowers. The loved companions of my youth, and sunny Sabbath hours ! And onward, onward, onward still successive Sabbaths come, As guides to lead us on the road to our eternal home. Or like the vision'd ladder once to slumbering Jacob given, From heaven descending to the earth, led back from earth to heaven ! TWO HUNDRED YEA. AGO. Written for the bi-centennial celebration of the vheological standards by the illustrious Westminster assembly of divines. Two hundred years, two hundred years, our bark o'er billowy seas. Has onward kept her steady course, through hurricane and breeze ; Her Captain was the mighty One, she braved the stormy foe. And still He guides who guided her, two hiu .'.red years ago. Hei chart v^as God's unerring word, by w^hich her course to steer, Her helmsman was the risen Lord, a helper ever near; Though many a beauteous boat has sunk the treacherous wave below, Yot ours is sound as she was built, two hundred years ago. 14* - L 162 M R S . G R A ^ . The wind that iilPd her swelling sheet from many a poin has blown, Still urging her unchanging course through shoals and break' ers on, Her fluttering pennon still the same whatever breeze might blow. It pointed, as it does to heaven, two hundred years ago. When first our gallant ship was launch'd, although her hands were few. Yet dauntless was each bosom found, and every heart was true! And still, though in her mighty hull unnumber'd bosoms glow. Her crew is faithful, as it was two hundred years ago ! True, some have left this noble craft, to sail the seas alone. And made them in their hour of pride a vessel of their own ; Ah me! when clouds portentous rise, when threatening tem- pests blow. They 'II wish for that old vessel built two hundred years ago ! For onward rides our gallant bark, with all her canvass set. In many a nation still unknown, to plant her standard yet; Her flag shall float where'er the breeze of freedom's breath shall blow, And millions bless the boat that sail'd two hundred years ago! Ori Scotia's coast, in days of yore, she lay almost a wreck. Her mainmast gone, her rigging torn, the boarders on the deck. There Cameron, Cargill, Cochran fell, there Renwick's blood did flow, Defending our good vessel built tv/o himdred years ago' MRS. GRAY. 163 Ah! many a martyr's blood was shed, we may not name them all ; They tore the peasant from his hut, the noble from his hall , Then, brave Argyle, thy father's blood for faith did freely flow, And pure the stream as was the fount two hundred years ago! Yet onward still our vessel press'd, and weather'd out the gale; She clear'd the wreck, and spliced the mast, and mended every sail ; And swifter, stauncher, mightier far, upon her cruise did go ; Strong hands and gallant hearts had she two hundred years ago ! And see her now on beam-ends cast, beneath a north-west storm ,^ Heave overboard the very bread to save the ship from harm* Slie rights ! she rides ! hark how they cheer, All 's well ! above below ! She 's tight as when she left the stocks two hundred years ago. True to that guiding star which led to Israel's cradled hope, Her steady needle pointeth yet to Calvary's bloody top! Yes, there she floats, that good old ship, from mast to keel below Sea-worthy still, as erst she was two hundred years ago ! Not imto us, not unto us, be praise or glory given. But unto Him who watch and w^ard hath kept for us in heaven; Who quell'd the whirlwind in its wrath, bade tempests cease to blow, That God who launch' i our vessel forth tv/o hundred years a^o ! 164 MRS. GRAY. Then onward speed thee, brave old bark, speed onward in thy pride. O'er sunny seas and billows dark, Jehovah still thy guide; And sacred be each plank and spar, unchanged by friend or foe, Just as she left Old Westminster, two hundred years ago ! MORN. IN IMITATION OF "NiaHT," BY MONTaOMERY. Morn is the time to wake, The eyelids to unclose ; Spring from the arms of sleep, and break The fetters of repose ; Walk at the dewy dawn abroad, And hold sweet fellowship v/ith God. Morn is the time to pray; How lovely and how meet, . To send our earliest thoughts away Up to the mercy-seat! Ambassadors for us, to claim A blessing in our Master's name. Rlorn is the time to sing; How charming 'tis to hear The mingling notes of nature ring In the delighted ear! And with that swellinsr anthem raise The soul's fresh matin-song of praise? Morn is the time to sow The seeds of heavenly truth. While balmy breezes softly blow Upon the soil of youth ; And look to tliee, nor look in vain, Our God, for sunshine and for rain. MRS. GRAY. Ifil Morn is the time to love ; As tendrils of the vine, The young affections fondly rove And seek them where to twine. Around thyself, in thine embrace, Lord, let them find their resting-place ' Morn is the time to shine; When, skies are clear and blue, Reflect the rays of light divine, As morning dew-drops do ; Like early stars, be early bright. And melt away like them, in light Morn is the time to weep O'er morning hours misspent; Alas ! how oft from peaceful sleep On folly madly bent. We've left the strait and narrow road. And wander'd from our guardian God Morn is the time to think, While thoughts are fresh and free, Of life, just balanced on the brink Of vast eternity I To ask our souls if they are meet To stand before the judgment-seat. Morn is the time to die; Just at the dawn of day, When stars are fading in the sky, To fade like them away; But lost in light more brilliant far Than ever merged the morning star. 166 ELIZA.FOLLEIS. Morn is the time to rise — " The resurrection morn ! Upspringing from the glorious skies On new-found pinions borne, To meet my Saviour's smile divine; Be such ecstatic rising mine ! ELIZA FOLLEN Was born in Boston, but now resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.. She was married in September, 1828, to Professor Charles Follen, who perished in the conflagration of the steamer Lexington, in the winter of 1839. Her chief work is the Memoir of her husband, published in five volumes ; but several other interesting books in prose have appeared from her pen : Sketches of Married Life, The Skeptic, The Well-spent Hour, Selections from Fenelon, The Warning, &c. In poetry, she has written Hymns, Songs, and Fables for children ; and another little book called Nursery Songs. A volume of Poems was published in Boston in 1839; from which we select the following pieces, as a fair specimen of her sweet and serious style. WINTER SCENES IN THE COUNTRy. The short, dull, rainy day drew to a close ; No gleam burst forth upon the western hills, With smiling promise of a brighter day. Dressing the leafless woods with golden light; But the dense fog hung its dark curtain' round, And the unceasing rain pour'd like a torrent on. The wearied inmates of the house draw near The cheerful fire ; the shutters all are closed ; ELIZA FOLLEN. 16"^ A brightening look spreads round, that seems % say, Now let the darkness and the rain prevail; Here ail is bright! How beautiful is the sound Of the descending rain ! how soft the wind Through the wet branches of the drooping elms! But hark ! far off, beyond the sheltering hills, Is heard the gathering tempest's distant swell, Threatening the peaceful valley ere it comes. The stream, that glided through its pebbly way To its own sweet music, now roars hoarsely on ; The woods send forth a deep and heavy sigh; The gentle south has ceased ; the rude northwest, Rejoicing in his strength, comes rushing forth. The rain is changed into a driving sleet. And when the fitful wind a moment lulls, The feathery snow, almost inaudible. Falls on the window-panes as soft and still As the light brushings of an angel's wings. Or the sweet visitings of quiet thoughts 'Midst the wild tumult of this stonny life. The tighten'd strings of nature's ceaseless harp Send forth a shrill and piercing melody. As the full swell returns. The night comes on. And sleep upon this little world of ours Spreads out her sheltering, healing wings; and man- The heaven-inspired soul of this fair earth. The bold interpreter of nature's voice. Giving a language even to the stars — Unconscious of the throbbings of his heart. Is still ; and all unheeded is the storm. Save by the wakeful few who love the night; Those pure and active spirits that are placed A.S guards o'er wayward man ; they who show forth God's holy image on the soul impress'd. They listen to the music of the storm, i68 ELIZA FOLLEN. And%old high converse with the unseen world; They wake, and watch, and pray, v/hile otliers sleep. The stormy night has pass'd ; the eastern clouds Glow with the morning's ray; but who shall tell The peerless glories of this winter day ? Nature has put her jewels on ; one blaze Of sparkling light and ever-varying hues " Bursts on the enraptured sight. The smallest twig with brilliants hangs its head; The graceful elm and all the forest trees Have on a crystal coat of mail, and seem All deck'd and trick'd out for a holiday. And every stone shines in it^ wreath of gems. The pert, familiar robin, as he flies From spray to spray, showers diamonds round. And moves in rainbow light where'er he goes. The universe looks glad ; but v/ords are vain, To paint the wonders of the splendid show. The heart exults with uncontroU'd delight. The glorious pageant slowly moves away. As the sun sinks behind the western hills. So fancy, for a short and .fleeting day. May shed upon the cold and barren earth Her. bright enchantments and her dazzling hues ; And thus they melt and fade away, and leave A cold and dull reality behind. But see where in the clear, unclouded sky, The crescent moon, with calm and sweet rebuke, Doth charm away the spirit of complaint. Her tender light falls on the snov/-clad hills. Like the pure thoughts that angels might bestow Upon this world of beauty, and of sin, That mingle not with that whereon they rest;— « ELIZA FOLLEN. 169 So should immortal spirits dwell below. There is a holy influence in the moon, And in the countless hosts of silent stars, The heart cannot resist : its passions sleep, And all is still; save that which shall awake "When all this vast and fair creation sleeps. ON THE DEATH OF A BEAUTIFUL GIEL. The young, the lovely pass away, Ne'er to be seen again ; Earth's fairest flowers too soon decay; Its blasted trees remain. Full oft we see the brightest thing That lifts its head on high. Smile in the light, then droop its wing, And fade away, and die. And kinc^y is the lesson given. Then dry the falling tear; They came to raise our hearts to heaven. They go to call us there. "to whom shall WE GO?" When oin* purest delights are nipt in the blossom. When those we love best are laid low, When grief plants in secret her thorns in the bosom. Deserted, " to whom shall we go ?" When error bewilders, and our path becomes dreary, And tears of despondency flow; When the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is weary Despairing, " to whom shall we go ?" 15 170 ELIZA TOLL EN. When the sad, thirsty spmt turns from the springs Of enchantment this life can bestow, And sighs for another, and flutters its wings. Impatient, "to whom shall we go?" O, blest be that light which has parted the clouds, A path to the pilgrim to show, That pierces the veil v/hich the future enshrouds, And shows us to whom we may go. TO MY ^OLIAN HARP, AS IT WAS PLAYING ON A COLD, STORMY DAY. Say, was it, my harp, the "invisible wing Of a spirit that • pass'd o'er thy musical string ? And comes it in love, with its light, airy hand. To play me a song from the heavenly land ? Though chill is the wind, and fitful it blows. Yet sweet as in summer thy music still flows ; But, when rages the blast, and contending winds roar. In silence you wait till the tempest is o'er. And thus, like thy strings, is the virtuous mind. Harmonious e'en in adversity's wind ; But, when by the tempests of life it is driven. It remembers, in silence, the storm is from Heaven. THE LITTLE SPRING. Beneath a green and mossy bank There flows a clear and fairy stream ; There the pert squirrel oft has drank. And thought, perhaps, 't was made for him. Their pitchers there the labourers fill, ^s drop by drop the crystals flow. LOUISA JANE HALL. 171 Singing their silvery welcome still To all who to the fountain go. Then to the river on it glides, Its - tributary drop to bear; Us modest head a moment hides, Then rises up and sparkles there. The touching lesson on my heart Falls like the gentle dews of heaven, Bids me with humble love impart The little treasure God has given. For from a source as small as this Full many a cup of joy may flow. And on the stream of human bliss Its little ray of gladness throw. LOUISA JANE HALL Was born at Newburyport, Massachusetts, February 7th, 1802. Her father, Dr. John Park, was a physician ; but at that time he had given up the practice of his profession, and was editing the Repertory, a well-known federal paper. In 1811, he opened a school for young ladies in Boston, (to which city he had removed several years before,) with a view of giving his daughter a more liberal education than was common at that period, and keeping her at the same time under hia own immediate care. She improved her advantages to the utmost; the chaste and correct style of her writings shows that the study and discipline of her early years must have been thorough and unwavering. None of her poems appeared in print until after she was twenty ; they were then published anonymously in the Literary Gazette, and othei periodicaia, Dr. Park removed to Worcester, Mass., in 1831, accpm- 172 LOUISA JANE HALL. panied by his daughter, who lived with him until October, 1840, when she married the Rev. E. B. Hall, of Providence, R. I., vvnere she still resides. Miriam^ a Dramatic Sketch, the admirable production on which Mrs. Hall's fame as a poet chiefly rests, was begun in the summer of 1826, and finished the following" summer. rJ'ot believing that it possessed sufficient merit to claim attention from the literary world, she allowed ten years to pass before publishing it ; then the commendations it "re- ceived, which were neither faint nor few, surprised no one so much as its modest author. The story is simple and interesting ; the charactei-s are drawn with much spirit and skill; and some passages display no ordinary amount of power and pathos. Her other principal work is in prose, Joanna of Naples, an Historical Tale ; published in 1838. Ill health, failure of eyesight, and great distrust of her own powers, have prevented her from being a very prolific writer; but her essays and reviews which have occasionally appeared, and her successful efforts in poetry, prove that the deficiency lies, not in the talent, but the will to use it. PRAYER. (FROM M IRIAM.) THRASENO. Where wouldst thou seek for peace or quietness, If not beside the altar of thy God? MIRIAM. Within these mighty walls of sceptred Rome A thousand temples rise unto her gods, Bearing their lofty domes unto the skies. Graced with the proudest pomp of earth; their shrines Glittering with gems, their stately colonnades. Their dreams of genius wrought into bright forms. Instinct with grace and godlike majesty. Their ever-smoking altars, white-robed priests. And all the pride of gorgeous sacrifice. And yet these things are naught. Rome's prayers ascend To greet th' unconscious skies, in the blue void LOUISAJANEHALL. 173 Lost like the floating breath of frankincense, And find np hearing or acceptance there. And yet there is an Eye that ever marks Where its own people pay their simple vows, Though to the rocks, the caves, the wilderness. Scourged by a stern and ever-watchful foe! There is an Ear that hears the voice of prayer Rising from lonely spots where Christians meet, Although it stir not more the sleeping air Than the soft waterfall, or forest breeze. Think'st thou, my father, this benignant God Will close his ear, and turn in wrath away From the poor sinful creature of his hand, Who breathes in solitude her humble prayer? Think'st thou He will not hear me, should I kneel Here in the dust beneath his starry sky. And strive to raise my voiceless thoughts to Him, Making an altar of my broken heart ? MIKIAM EXPLAINS TO PAULUS WHY THEY MUST PART. (FROM THE SAME.) PAULUS. My brain is pierced ! Mine eyes with blindness smitten ! and mine ear Rings faintly with the echo of thy words ! Henceforth what man shall ever build his faith On woman's love, on woman's constancy? Maiden ! look up ! I would but gaze once more Upon that open brow and clear, dark eye. To read what aspect Perjury may wear. What garb of loveliness may Falsehood use. To lure the eye of guileless, manly love I Cruel, cold-blooded, fickle that thou art. Dost thou not quail beneath thy lover's eye.'' 15* 1 74 LOUISAJANEHALL. How! there is light within thy lofty glance, A flush upon thy cheek, a settled calm Upon thy lip and brow ! MI RI AM. Ay, even so. A light — a flush — a calm — not of this earth! For in this hour of bitterness and woe, The Grace of God is falling on my soul. Like dews upon the with'ring grass which late Red scorching flames have sear'd. Again The consciousness of faith, of sins forgiven. Of wrath appeased, of heavy guilt thrown off. Sheds on my breast its long-forgotten peace. And sliining steadfast as the noonday sun. Lights me along the path that duty marks. Lover too dearly loved I a long farewell ! The banner'd field — the glancing spear — the shout That bears the victor's name unto the skies, — . The JaurelPd brow — be thine p A u L u s . Maid! — now hear me! For by thine own false vows and broken faith, By thy deceitful lips, and. dark, cold heart MIRIAM. Great God, support me now ! — It cannot be That from my Paulus' lips such bitter words P AULU s. Such bitter words ! nay, maiden, what were thine ? MIRIAM. Mine were not spoken, love, in heat or wrath, But in th' uprightness of a heart that knew Its duty both to God and man, and sought Peace with its Maker — ere it broke. But thou P AULU s . And I ? — thou false one ! am not I a man ? LOUISA JANE HALL. 175 A Roman too ? and is a Roman's heart A plaything made for girls to toy withal, And then to keep or idly fling away, As the light fancy of the moment prompts ? Have I then stoop'd to win thy fickle love From my proud pinnacle of rank and fame. Wasting my youth's best season on a dream^ Forgetful of my name, my sire, my gods, "^o be thus trifled with and scoru'd at last ? MIRIAM. Canst thou not learn to hate me ? P AUL u s. O ye gods ! With what a look of calm despair MIRIAM. Ay, Paulus! Never, in all my deep despondency, In all the hours of dark presentiment In which my fancy often conjured up This scene of trial — did my spirit dream Of bitterness like that Avhich now thy hand Is pouring in my cup of life. Alas ! Must we then part in anger.'* shall this hour, With harsh upbraidings marr'd- PAULUS. Syren ! in vaia — Would I could learn to hate thee ! trampling down The mem'ry of my fond and foolish love. As 1 would crush an adder 'neath my heel! But no ! the poison rankles in my veins ; — It -may net be ; — each look and tone of thine Tells me that yet thou art my bosom's queen, And each vain, frantic struggle only draws Closer around my heart the woven toils. \j.fl pause. 176 LOUISA JANE HALL. Miriam! my pride is bow'd — my wrath subdued — My heart attuned e'en to thy slightest will, — So that thou yet wilt let me linger on, Hoping and dreaming that thou hat'st me not, Suffer'd to come at times, and sadly gaze Upon thy loveliness, as if thou wert ^ A Dian shrined within her awful fane, Made to be look'd upon and idolized. But in whose presence passion's lightest pulse, Love's gentlest whisper, were a deadly sin- Cast me not from thee, love ! send me not lortli Blasted and wan into a heartless world. Amid its cold and glittering pageantry. To learn what utter loneliness of soul, What wordlessj deep, and sick'ning misery, Ts in the sense of unrequited love ! MIRIAM. I cannot — must not hear thee. Even now A chord is touch'd within my soul. — Great God! Where is the strength thou didst vouchsafe of late ? Anger — reproach — were better borne than this! p A u L u s . Why should thy gentle nature thus be crush'd ? Is not the voice within thee far more just Than the harsh dictates of thy gloomy faith ? Thy stern and unrelenting Deity MIRIAM. Youth! thou reraindest me — thou dost blaspheme The God of Mercy whom I serve ; and now Courage and strength return at once to nerve My trembling limbs, my weak and yielding soul. What wouldst thou have? that I should yet drag on A life of dark and vile hypocrisy, ■ Days full of fear and nights of vain remorse, And love, though sinless, yet not innocent? LOUISA JANE Hall. 177 For well I know that when thy sunny smiles Are on me, sternly frowning doth look down My Maker on oui" stolen interview! It is a crime of dye too deep and dark To be wash'd out but with a life of tears, And penitence, and utter abstinence. I never will behold thy face again ! My soul shall be unlock'd and purified, And there the eyes of those that love me well Shall find no dark and sinful mystery, Shunning a tender father's scrutiny. And weighing down my spirit to the dust. Paulus ! — again — farewell ! yet — yet in peace We part! PAULUS. Maiden! by all my perish'd hopes, By the overwhelming passion of my soul, By the remembrance of that fatal hour When first I spake to thee of love — and thought That thou Ay! by the sacred gods, I swear, I will not yield thee thus! In open day, Before my father's eyes — and bearing too Perchance his malediction on my head — Before the face of p.ll assembled Rome, Bann'd though I be by all her priests and gods, — Thee — thee will I lead forth — my Christian bride! MIRIAM. Ay ! sayst thou so, my Paulus .? thou art bold. And generous. Meet bridal will it be — The stake — the slow red fire — perchance the den Of hungry lions, gnashing with white teeth In savage glee at sight of thy young bride. Their destined prey! for well thou know'st that these Are but the tend'rest mercies of thy sire To the scorn'd sect, whose lofty faith m'^' ?oul M 17^ LOUISA JANE HALL. Holds fast through torments worse than aught that these Can offer to the clay* wherein it dv/ells. p A u L u s . Drive me not mad ! — ■ Nay — nay — I have not done ; The dark cold waters of despair rise fast, . But have not yet o'ertopp'd each resting-place. We will go forth upon the bounding sea, We two alone, and chase the god of day O'er the broad ocean, where each eve he dips His iDlazing chariot in the western wave. And seek some lonely isle of peace and love, Where lingering summer dwells the livelong year, Wasting the music of her happy birds, The unpluck'd richness of her golden fruits, The fragrance of her blossoms o'er the land. And we will be the first to tread the turf, . And raise our quiet hearth and altars there, And thou shalt fearless bow before the Cross Praying unto what unknown God thou wilt. While i MIRIAM. No more, my Paulus ! it is vain. Why should we thus unnerve our souls with dreams, With fancies wilder, idler far than dreams ? Our destiny is fix'd! the hour is come! And wilt thou that a frail and trembling girl Should meet its anguish with a steadier soul Than thine, proud soldier! MIRIAM APPEALS TO THE HEART OF PISO. (FROM THE SAME.) PISO. Bold maiden! ' While thou art safe, go hence; for in his might The tiger wakes within nne! LOUISA JANE HALL. 179 MIRIAM. Be it so. He can but rend me where I stand. And here, Living or dying, will I raise my voice In a firm hope! The God that brought me here Is round me in the silent air. On me Falleth the influence of an unseen Eye ! And in the strength of secret, earnest prayer, This awful consciousness doth nerve my frame. Thou man of evil and ungovern'd soul! My father thou mayst slay ! Flames, will not fall From heaven to scorch and wither thee! The earth Will gape not underneath thy feet! and peace, Mock, hollow, seeming peace, may shadow still Thy home and hearth ! But deep within thy breast A fierce, consuming fire shall ever dwell. Each night shall ope a gulf of horrid dreams To swallow up thy soul. The livelong day That soul shall yearn for peace and quietness, As the hart panteth for the water brooks. And know that even in death — is no repose! And this shall be thy life! Then a dark hour Will surely come p I s o. Maiden, be warn'd! All this I know. It moves me not. MIRIAM. Nay, one thing more Thou knowest not. There is on all this earth — Full as it is of young and gentle hearts — One man alone that loves a wretch like thee; And he, thou say'st, must die ! All other eye? Do greet thee with a cold or wrathful look. Or, in the baseness of their fear, shun thine ; And he whose loving glance alone spake peace, ISO LOUISA JANE HALL. Thou say'st must die in youth! Thou know'st nol yet The deep and bitter sense of loneliness, The throes and achings of a childless heart, Which yet Will all be thine! Thou know'st not yet What 'tis to wander 'mid thy spacious halls, And find them desolate ! wildly to . start From thy deep musings at the distant sound Of voice or step like his, and sink back sick — Ay! sick at heart — with dark remembrances! To dream thou seest him as in )^ears gone by, When in his bright and joyous infancy. His laughing eyes amid thick curls sought thine. And his soft arms were twined around thy neck, And his twin rosebud lips just lisp'd thy name — Yet feel in agony 't is but a dream ! Thou know'st not yet what 'tis to lead the van Of armies hurrying on to victory. Yet, in the pomp and glory of that hour. Sadly to miss the well-known snowy plume. Whereon thine eyes v/ere^ ever proudly fix'd In battle-field! — to sit, at midnight deep. Alone within thy tent — all shuddering — When, as the curtain'd door lets in the breeze, Thy fancy conjures up the gleaming arms And bright young hero-face of him who once Had been most welcome there ! — and worst of all ■ p I s o. It is enough ! The gift of prophecy Is on thee, maid ! A power that is not thine Looks out from that dilated, awful form — Those eyes deep flashing with unearthly light — And stills my soul. — My Paulus must not die? And yet — to give up thus the boon'. MRS. SWIFT is a Philadt iphian by birth ; the daughter of Mr. John Lorrain, a mer- chant of that city. She now resides in Easton, Pennsylvania, where, for many years past, she has been confined to one house, almost to one room, by the illness of her husband. Her poems frequently appear in Neal's Saturday Gazette ; but they are written less for the public than for a circle of warmly-attached friends. A vein of tenderness runs through them all. S TAN Z A S. " Friends who by practice of some envious skill Were torn apart, a wide wound, mi-nd from mind, She did unite again with visions dear Of fond affection, and of truth sincere," Shehet. ]VoT on this earth, beloved, shall we meet; Not in this weary world of sighs and tears, Where life is meted out by days and years, ' " Shall we again our plighted faith repeat ; But in some mansion blest, Where happy spirits rest. Some star perchance in space, whose far-oft' light Gleam'd on thy upturn'd brow, when first you swoie To love me always, love me evermore, Passion's bright dawn, that set in darkest night. In loneliness and silence oft I gaze Upon the midnight glories of the skies, ^ When world on world man's feeble sense defies ; Till overwhelm'd by the refulgent blaze 16 (181) 182 MRS. SWIFT. Of Deity reveal'd, my soul is stilPd, And with its immortality is fill'd. Ah ! then for thee, in deep but wordless prayer, My spirit, as if borne on angel-wings, Pleads for thee with the mighty King of kings, To guide and guard thee safe through every snare For both, the sorrow that makes desolate. Hath brimm'd a cup whose anguish and dismay Wither'd the spring-buds of life's early day ; Dreamers upon the brink of adverse fate. With childlike trust its stormy billows greeting, At morn's farewell, and evening's blessed meeting; Love threw his rainbow on the coming cloud. And Faith, the angel of this world of tears, Pointed with radiant brov^'' to future years. Alas! for us the Future wove Love's shroud! TO THE NIGHT -BLOOMING CEREUS. (WRITTEN AT MIDNIGHT.) • Oh, glorious flower! As thus at midnight hour With eager gaze I watch thy full revealing, The spirit of the past Is o'er my senses cast, In the rich incense from thy petals stealing. Flower of a century. The dead have gazed on thee ; Hast thou no message from the olden time ? Where are the living eyes. That look'd in glad surprise, When last thy blossoms open'd in their prime? MRS. SWIFT. 183 I see a multitude, The gentle and the rude, The gay, the sad, the young, the weary-hearled. They stand before me now. Each with an upturned brow, O tell me, when, and where, have they departed?' Thou answerest with death ! E'en as I speak, his breath Is bowing thy bright head with swift decay ; And when again ye bloom, A tenant of the tomb Like them, sweet flower, I shall have pass'd away ! ME MOR Y. 'T WAS but a word, a single word A stranger's lip exprest, And yet my spirit's depths were stirr'd With feelings long represt. Unbidden tear-drops dimm'd my eyes, My lip still wore a smile ; how the heart can grief disguise, And learn deception's wile. Thoughts, rushing thoughts, came wild and fast, The present, it was not, 1 only saw the long — long past, How could it be forgot ? Young voices murmur'd in mine ear, With radiant mirth and glee, But I, alas ! could only hear " The heart that spoke of thee. 184 MRS. SWIFT Again that hand was claspM m mine Once more thou wert mine own, And 'neath the crescent moon's pale shine. On the hill-side, alone, We wander'd forth, too blest to be Creatures of earth and care; A rude voice broke the reverie. The vision.it was — air! A CHRISTMAS CAROL. (addressed to MRS. E. F. ELLET.) Summer has gone with its bloom and its fountains, Hush'd is the music from valley and hill; The frost-king now reigns on the snow-cover'd mountauis, And ice-fetters prison the river and rill. But, Lady-bird, still thy sweet strains are awaking The sunshine that dwelt in the long-perish'd bowers, And the soft-wooing zephyrs are playfully shaking The rich gushing perfume from many-hued flowers. Enchanted we turn from the cold and the real, To v/ander with thee in thy fancy's rich dream; And in the far land of the Poet's ideal. To watch the bright sparkle of Helicon's stream. What matters it, if on the face of creation. The snow-drift lies deep, and the stormy winds shriek, Undisturbed by the dreary and wide desolation. We shut out its darkness, thy pages to seek. But May will return, with her garland of roses. The woods be all vocal with carol and lay; Tlie forget-me-not bank, where the wild bee reposes, Will twine with star-flowers each delicate spray. MRS. E. C. KINNEY. 185 From earth, air, and water, sweet sounds shall come stealing, And in one joyous pasan ascend to the skies, And nature — in leaf, bud and blossom — revealing Her mystical workmanship, gladden our eyes. Then, dearest one, come to our Eden; no pinion That flies by our groves shall be welcome as thine; All true hearts shall bow to thy gentle dominion, And worshippers throng to thy laurel-wreathed shrine. Now to her who has poured forth her mind's choicest treasure, To cheer the dark season of torpor and care, From the type of herself, in a full crystal measure. We will toast ''our sweet Ellet, — the joyous, and fair!" MRS. E. C. KINNEY. Mrs. Kinney, whose maiden name was Dodge, was born and educated in the city of New York, where her father was for many years engaged in mercantile pursuits. The love of nature was always one of her strongest characteristics, and on removing to her father's country home near Plainfield, N. J., this poetic feeling began to find utterance in verse. Her first productions appeared in the Knickerbocker, under the name of Stedman, but for a number of years she has been an occasional con- tributor to Graham's Magazine, and other periodicals. In 1841, she v;as married to Mr. William B. Kinney, the talented editor of the Newark Daily Advertiser, and has resided at Newark ever since. There is much genuine feeling, a delicate perception of the beautiful, and an honest love for the simple and true, in her effusions, which cannot fail to please. 16* 186 MRS. E. C. KINNEY. THE QUAKERESS BRIDE. Oh ! not in the halls of the noble and proud, Where Fashion assembles her glittering crowd, ■ Where all is in beauty and splendour arrayed, Were the nuptials performed of the meek duaker maid. Nor yet in the temple those rit^s which she took, By the altar, the mitre-crowned bishop, and book; Where oft in her jewels doth stand the fair bride, To whisper those vows which through life shall abide. The building was humble, yet sacred to One Who heeds the deep worship that utters no tone ; Whose presence is not to the temple confined, But dwells with the contrite and lowly of mind. 'Twas there, all unveiled, save by modesty, stood The Quakeress bride, in her pure satin hood ; Her charms unadorned by the garland or gem, Yet fair as the lily just plucked from its stem. A tear glistened bright in her dark shaded eye, And her bosom, half-uttered a tremulous sigh, As the hand she had pledged was confidingly given. And the low murmured accents recorded in heaven. I've been at the bridal where wealth spread the board. Where the sparkling red wine in rich goblets was poured, Where the priest in his surplice from ritual read, And. the solemn response was impressively said. I've seen the fond sire in his thin locks of gray. Give the pride of his heart to the bridegroom away. While he brushed the big tear from his deep-furrowed cheeky And bowed the assent which his lips might not speak ; MRS. E . C. KIN N E Y. 187 But in all the array of the costlier scene, N^aught seemed to my eye so sincere in its mien.% No language so fully the heart to resign, As the Quakeress bride's — "Until death i am thine." FADING AUTUMN. Th' autumnal glories all have passed away! The forest-leaves no more in hectic red Give glowing tokens of their brief decay, But scattered lie, or rustle at the tread. Like whispered warnings from the mouldering dead ; The naked trees stretch out their arms all day, And each bald hill-top lifts its reverend head As if for some new covering to pray. Come, Winter, then, and spread thy robe of white Above the desolation of this scene ; And when the sun with gems shall make it bright, Or, when its snowy folds by midnight's queen Are silvered o'er with a serener light. We'll cease to sigh for summer's living green. A winter night. How calm, how solemn, how sublime the scene! The moon in full-orbed glory sails above, And stars in myriads around her move, Kach looking down Avith v/atchful eye serene On earth, which, in a snowy shroud arrayed, And still, as if in death's embrace 'twere laid. Saddens the spirit with its corpse-like mien : Yet doth it charm the eye — -its gaze still hold; Just as the face of one we loved, when cold And pale and lovely e'en in death 'tis seen, 188 MRS. E. C. KINNEY. Will fix the mourner's eye, tho' trembling fears Fill all his heart, and thickly fall his tears : O, I could watch till morn should change the sight, This cold, this beautiful, this mournful Winter night' CULTIVATION. Weeds grow unasked, and even some sweet flowers Spontaneous give their fragrance to the air. And bloom on hills, in vales, and everywhere — - As shines the sun, or fall the summer showers — But wither while our lips pronounce them fair! Flowers of more vv^orth repay alone the care, The nurture, and the hopes of watchful hours ; While plants most cultured have most lasting powers. So, flowers of Genius that. will longest live Spring not in Mind's uncultivated soil. But are the birth of time, and mental toil. And all the culture Learning's hand can give : Fancies, like wild flowers, in a night may grow; But thoughts are plants whose stately growth is slow. ENCOURAGEMENT. When first peeps out from earth the modest vine, Asking but little space to live and grow. How easily some step, without design, May crush the being from a thing so low! But let the hand that doth delight to show Support to feebleness, the tendril twine Around some lattice-work, and 'twill bestow Its thanks in fragrance, and with blossoms shine. And thus, when Genius first puts forth its shoot So timid that it scarce dare ask to live — M R S . E . C . K I N N E Y . 189 The tender germ, if trodden under foot, Shrinks back again to its undying root; While kindly training bids it upward strive. And i ) the future flowers immortal give. THE SPIRIT OF SONG. Eternal Fame! thy great rewards. Throughout all time, shall be The right of those old master-bards Of Greece and Italy ; And of fair Albion's favoured isle. Where Poesy's celestial sm.ile Hath shone for ages, gilding bright Her rocky clifl^s and ancient towers. And cheering this new world of ours With a reflected light. VTet, though there be no path untrod By that immortal race — Who walked with Nature as with God, And saw her face to face — No living truth by them unsung — No thought that hath not found a tongue In some strong lyre of olden time ; Must every tuneful lute be still — That may not give a world the thrill Of their great harp sublime? Oh, not while beating hearts rejoice In Music's simplest tone. And hear in Nature's every voice An echo to their own! Not till these scorn the little rill That runs rejoicing down the hill. 190 MRS E. C. KINNEY. Or the soft melancholy glide Of some deep stream through glen and glade. Because 'tis not the thunder made By ocean's heaving tide ! The hallowed lilies of the field In glory are arrayed, And tim^id, blue-eyed violets yield Their fragrance to the shade; Nor do the vi^ay-side flowers conceal Those modest charms that sometimes steal Upon the weary traveller's eyes Like angels, spreading for his feet A carpet filled with odours sweet, And decked wdth heavenly dyes. Thus let the afiluent Soul of Song— That all with flowers adorns — Strew life's uneven path along, And hide its thousand thorns : Oh, many a sad and weary heart. That treads a noiseless way apart. Has blessed the humble poet's name, For fellowship refined and free, In meek wild-flowers of poesy. That asked no higher fame! And pleasant as the water-fall To one by deserts bound — Making the air all musical With cool, inviting sound — Is oft some unpretending strain Of rural song, to him whose brain Is fevered in the sordid strife MRS. E. C. KINNEY. ]:)! That Avarice breeds 'twixt man and man, While moving on in caravan Across the sands of Life, Yet not for these alone he sings ; The poet's breast is stirred As by the spirit that takes wings And carols in the bird! He thinks not of a future name, Nor whence his inspiration came, Nor whither goes his warbled song; As Joy itself delights in joy — His soul finds life in its employ, And grows by utterance strong. MOUNT HOPE CEMETERY, ROCHESTER. Come hither, ye who fear the grave, and call it lone and dreai, Who deem the burial-place a spot to waken grief and fear; Oh ! come and climb with me this mount where sleep the silent dead, And through these winding gravel-walks with noiseless footsteps tread. Stoop down and pluck the fragrant bud, just opening fresh above The peaceful bed where slumbers one who died in youth and love ; Smell the pure air, so redolent with breath of summer flowers. And take this sprig of evergreen, a pledge for future hours See yonder river sparkling through the foliage of the grove, How gracefully its course doth bend — how still its waters move! Sit 'neath the branches of this tree which spread their grateful shade To screen a spot for musing thought, or holy converse made. 192 MRS. E. C.KINNEY. Look round this garden of the dead, where creep green myrtle vines, Where box surrounds the sleeper's home, and scented sweet- brier twines; Where lowly violets ope to heaven their tiny eyes of blue, FilPd oft at morn with glittering tears, the drops of early dew. And now, bend upward still your steps to gain the highest peak, ■ And let your eyes the view beneath, and distant prospect seek ; O, beautiful ! thrice beautiful ! there, blended hill and dale; And here, the lofty mansion with the cottage of the vale. The city spires, which look to Heaven, in whose high cause they stand As guides to point the pilgrim's eye toward the far promised land ; The distant villages that speck with white the wavy green, And farther still, the deep blue lake, with many a sail, is seen. Descend again, and pause beside this vine-encircled tomb ; And tell me, is there aught around to fill the mind with gloom ? List to the feather'd songsters' notes that warble from the trees. And hear the music soft that steals upon the whispering breeze ! Oh, say, do not fair Nature's tones awake the soul to bliss? And does not thought ascend to heaven, from such a spot as this? And even the grave, does not its voice, amid such flowery ground, Say to the weary sons of earth, " Here sweet repose is found ?" Mount Hope ! thy consecrated walks I never more may tread, And learn to die by conning here the lessons of the dead; Yet sweei ^t would be to "rest my flesh in hope" beneath thy sod, Till the last trump should bid it rise, to see a Father, God! MAKGUEEITE ST. LEON LOUD. Mrs. Loud, formerly Miss Barstow, was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania; and passed the early part of her life in the beautiful retirement of her native home, enjoying unrestrained intercourse with the wildest scenes of wood and valley that are to be found among the windings of the Susquehannah. Although when a child she committed whole volumes of poetry to memory, and studied with fond devotion the best poets, (as well as nature, one of the best teachers a poet can have,) it was not until the time of her marriage in 1824, that her ov/n talent began to develope itself. She is now quite an accomplished writer, and contributes to various magazines and daily journals ; her poems often possess much melody of language, graceful thought, and tender feelin;?. THE DESEHTED HOMESTEAD. There is a lonely homestead In a green and quiet vale. With its tall trees sighing mournfully To every passing gale ; There are many mansions romid it, hi the sunlight gleaming fair ; But moss-grown is that ancient roof, Its walls are grey and bare. Where once glad voices sounded Of children in their mirth, No vi^hisper breaks the solitude By that deserted hearth. The swallow from her dwelling In the low eaves, hath flown; And all night long, the whip-poor-will Sings by the threshold stone. 194 MARGUERITE ST. LEON LOUD. No hand above the window Ties up the trailing vines; And through the broken casement-panes The moon at midnight shines. And many a solemn shadow Seems starting from the gloom ; Like forms of long departed ones Peopling that dim old room. No furrow for the harvest Is drawn upon the plain ; And in the pastures green and fair, No herds or flocks remain. Why is that beauteous, homestead Thus standing bare and lone ? While all the worshipp'd household gals In dust lie overthrov/n. And where are they whose voices Ranff out o'er hill and dale ? Gone ; — and their mournful history Is but an oft-told tale. There smiles no lovelier valley Beneath the summer sun, Yet they who dwelt together there Departed one by one. Some to the quiet churchyard, And some beyond the sea; To meet no more, as once they met, Beneath that old roof-tree. Like forest-birds forsaking Their shelt'ring native nest, The young — to life's wild scenes went forth, The aged — to their rest. MARGUERITE ST. LEON Lt>UD. 19^ Fame and ambition lured tliem, From that green vale to roam, But as their dazzling dreams depart, Regretful memories come Of the valley, and the homestead, " Of their childhood pure and free ; Till each world-weary spirit pines, That spot once more to see. Oh ! blest are they who linger 'Mid old familiar things, Where every object o'er the heart A hallow'd influence flings. Though won are wealth and honours, — Though reach'd fame's lofty dome, — There are no joys like those which dwell Within our childhood's home. 5J "JESUS V7EPT. John xi. 35. Draw near, ye weary, bow'd, and broken-hearted. Ye onward trav'lers to a peaceful bourne; Ye, from whose path the light hath all departed. Ye, who are left in solitude to mourn ; Though o'er your spirits hath the storm-cloud swept, Sacred are sorrow's tears, since "Jesus wept." The bright and spotless Heir of endless glory, Wept o'er the woes of those He came to save; And angels, wondered when they heard the story. That He who conquered death, wept o'er the grave, For 'twas not when his lonely watch He kept In dark Gethsemane, that "Jesus wept." 196 MARGUERITE ST. LEON LOUD. But with the friends He loved whose hope had perished, The Saviour stood, while througi^ his bosom rushVl A tide of sympathy for those He cherished, And from his eyes the burning tear-drops gushed, And bending o'er the tomb where Lazarus slept, In agony of spirit, "Jesus wept." Lo! Jesus' power the sleep of death hath broken. And wiped the tear from sorrow's drooping eye! Look up, ye mourners, hear what he hath spoken, "He that believes on me shall never die." Through faith and love your spirits shall be kept ; Hope brighter grew on earth when "Jesus wept." PRAYER FOR AN ABSENT HUSBAND. Father in Heaven! Behold, he whom I love is daily treading The path of life in heaviness of soul. With the thick darkness now around him spreading He long hath striven — Oh, Thou most kind ! break not the golden bowl. Father in Heaven ! Thou who so oft hast healed the broken-hearted, And raised the weary spirit bov/ed with care, L'^t him not say his joy hath all departed, Lest he be driven Down to the deep abyss of dark despair. Father in Heaven! Oh, grant to his most cherished hopes a blessing,-- Let peace and rest descend upon his head, That his torn heart. Thy holy love possessing. May not be riven, — Let guardian angels watch his lonely bed. MARGUERITE ST. LEON LOUD. 197 Father in Heaven ! Oh, may his heart be stayed on Thee \ each feeUng Still lifted up in gratitude and love; And may that faith the joys of heaven revealing To him be given, Till he shall praise Thy name in realms above. THE AGED. 1 LOVE the aged; — every silver hair On their time-honoured brows, speaks to my lieart In language of the past; each burrow there, In all my best affections claims a part ; Next to our God and Scripture's holy page. Is deepest rev'rence due to virtuous age. The aged Christian stands upon the shore Of Time, a storehouse of experience, FilPd with the treasures of rich heav'nly lore ; I love to sit and hear him draw from thence Sweet recollections of his journey past, A journey crowned with blessings to the last. Lovely the aged! when like shocks of corn, Full ripe and ready for the reaper's hand. Which garners for the resurrection morn The bodies of the just, — in hope they standi And dead must be the .heart, the bosom cold, Which warms not v/ith affection for the old. * LUELLA J. CASE. The writings of this lady, both in prose and verse, have chiefly appeared in The Rose of Sharon, a religious annua], and The Flower Vase, a small volume of selected poetry; — both of which were edited by her friend, the late Mrs. Edgarton Mayo. The extracts we give, show an easy and earnest mode of expression, and a cheerful heart, fitted by wisdom and love to give useful advice in a poetical form. She is a daug"hter of the late Hon. Levi Bartlett, of Kingston, N. H., where she was born. Since her niarriage she has lived at Portland, Maine, and Cincinnati, Ohio ; she now resides at the former place. ENERGY IN ADVERSITY. ONv^'^ARD ! Hath earth's ceaseless change Trampled on thy heart.'* Faint not, for that restless range Soon will heal the smart. Trust the future; time will prove Earth hath stronger, truer love. Bless thy God, the heart is not An abandoned urn, Where, all lonely and forgot. Dust and ashes mourn; Bless Him, that his mercy brings Joy from out its withered things. Onward, for the truths of God ! Onward, for the right! Firmly let the field be trod, In life's coming fight; Heaven's own hand will lead thee on, Guard thee tirll thy task is done! (198 L U EL L A J . C A S E . . : 99 Then will brighter, sweeter flowers Blossom round thy way, Than e'er sprung in Hope's glad bowers. In thine early day ; And the rolling years shall bring Strength and healing on their wing. CHARITY. Speak kindly, oh speak soothingly To liim whose hopes are crossed, Whose blessed trust in human love Was early, early lost; For wearily — how wearily ! Drags life, if love depart; Oh ! let the balm of gentle words Fall on the smitten heart! Go gladly, v/ith true sympathy, Where want's pale victims pine, And bid life's sweetest smiles again Along their pathway shine. Oh, heavily doth poverty Man's nobler instincts bind; Yet sever not that chain, to cast A sadder on the mind. THE UNBIDDEN GUEST. • I COME ! Ye have lighted your festal hall. And music is sounding its joyous call. And the guests are gathering- — the young — the fair, With the flower-wreath'd brow, and the braided hair. i come, but so noiseless shall be my way Through the smiling crowds of the young and gay, :00 L U E L LA J . CASE. Not a thought shall rise in a careless breast Of me, the Unseen, the Unbidden Guest ; Not an nnder-tone on the ear shall swell. Smiting your hearts like a funeral knell. I come ! Let the music's echoing note Still through the air of your ball-room float, Let the starry lamps' soft radiance throw On the rose-touch'd cheek, and the brow of suow. Not a freezing pulse, not a thrill of fear. Shall tell that the King of the Grave is near; Not a pallid face, not a rayless eye, Shall whisper of me as I hurry by. Marking the doom'd I shall summon away To their low, dark cells, in the house of clay. We have met before ! Ay, I wander'd here [n the festal hours of the parted year. And many a beautiful form has bow'd To the sleep that dwells in the damp white shroud ! They died when the first spring blossom was seen, They faded away when the groves were green, When the suns of Autumn were faint and brief, On the wither'd grass, and the changing leaf; And here there is many a pulse shall fail, Ere the suns of the passing year grov/ pale. Then sw^ell the proud strains of your music high, As the measured hours of your life flit by ; Let the foot of the thoughtless dancer be As fleet as it will, it eludes not me ! I shall come when life's morning ray is bright, I shall come in the hush of its waning light, 1 shall come when the ties of earth cling fast, ^ When love's sw^eet voice is a voice of the Past! To your homes, and pray; — for ye wait your doom, The shroud, the coffin, the lonely tomb ! ELIZABETH BOGART. 201 Ye would quail, ye tremblers, to see me here' Yet the mission I hold is of love, not fear A healing I bear to the couch of pain, I fling from the spirit its cumbering chain, And weary old age to my rest shall hie With a smiling lip, and a grateful eye. When life, like a sorrowful mourner, weeps O'er the grave where its early promise sleeps, Oh, earth has no balm like the cup I bring! Why say ye I come with the dart and sting ? My voice shall be sweet in the maiden's ear, As the voice of her lover whispering near; And my footstep so soft by the infant's bed, He will deem it his mother's anxious tread, And his innocent eyes will gently close, As I kiss from his bright young lips the rose. Oh, the good and the pure have nought to fear. When my voice in the gathering gloom they heai ! Away from the dance, ye revellers gay. Fling off the wreath, — to your homes, and pray. ELIZABETH BOGART. Miss Bogart was born in the city of New York. Her father, the Rev. David S. Bogart, was a graduate of Columbia College, where he took the first honours in his class, and a clergyman highly esteemed among his contemporaries, as a fine classical scholar, and an eloquent and efiective preacher. To his constant instructions, Miss Bogart waa indebted for her education, and under his encouraging care, her love for literary pursuits was cherished and indulged. She wrote for many of the periodicals of the day at an early age, but principally for the 202 ELIZABETH BOGART. New York Mirror, under the signature of Estelle. Her ^joems have never been collected into a volume ; nor has she (being a lady of inde- pendent fortune,) ever been compelled to write by any other motive than her own pleasure, or better still, to soothe sorrows not her own. Very often, we doubt not, the tribute of grateful love and praise (dearer than fame to a pious heart) has been gladly rendered to her, for the gentle sympathy of her friendly verses. One of her poems has been so frequently re-published, and so much admired, that Miss Bogart might be specified as the author of He came too late; there is so much nature and simple dignity about this general favourite, that it shall be the first we select. HE CAMS TOO LATE. He came too late ! — Neglect had tried Her constancy too long ; Her love had yielded to her pride, And the deep sense of wrong. She scorned the offering of a heart Which lingered on its way, Till it could no delight impart. Nor spread one cheering ray. He came too late ! — x4it once he felt That all his power was o'er! Indifference in her calm smile dwelt, She thought of him no more. Anger and grief had passed away. Her heart and thoughts were free ; She met him and her words were gay, No spell had m-eiaory. He came too late! — the subtle chords Of love were all unbound, Not by offence of spoken words. But by the slights that wound. ELIZABETH BOGART. 203 She knew that life held nothing now That could the past repay, Yet she disdained his tardy vow, And coldly turned away. He came too late! — Her countless dreams Of hope had long since flown ; No charms dwelt in his chosen themes, Nor in his whispered tone. And when, with word and smile, he tried Affection still to prove. She nerved her heart with woman's pride, And spurned his fickle love. r O THE MEMORY OF A FRIEND WHO D I E I> ON SABBATH MORNING. Oh, it was meet, beloved friend ! That on the Sabbath morn, Thy soul should wing its flight to heaven. On angel pinions borne. And brightly broke that Sabbath day Upon thy raptured sight, fn mansions of eternal bliss, And everlasting light. And in that City of the Blest, Where thou hast found a home. Sorrow and sickness are unknown, And Death shall never come. *' And there shall be no night," nor need Of sun or moon to shine; The glory of the Lord shall fill The place with rays divine. Why should we weep, beloved friend ! That thou hast entered now 204 ELIZABETH BOGART. The gates of pearl, and hast received The crown upon thy brow — The glorious " crown of righteousness" '■ — Ere yet the years drew near, In which thy weary heart should feel Thou hadst no pleasure here. Thy spirit left this dying world, While Nature's fading bloom And falling leaves, spoke mournfully Of sadness and the tomb. But ah, already has the Spring, With flowers and beauty rife. Returned to thee — and thou hast drunk The crystal stream of life. Yet must I weep, my much loved-friend ! In selfish grief, for thee ; The haunts where we together strayed, Are lonely now to me. Earth's bright and beauteous scenes no more Could former joys impart. Without thy pleasant voice and smile, Companion of my heart! Nor I alone shall mourn thy loss ; The suffering, sick, and poor. Will miss the friend who never turned Unkindly from their door. Oh, thou hast sought the bed of pain, To comfort the distressed; And many such will join thy friends, To call thy memory blessed. Thy works shall praise thee, more than ivords, For feeble is the lyre. ELIZABETH BOGART. 205 And cold the language seems to flow. Though burning thoughts inspire. Farewell, farewell! — I know that thou Shalt ne'er return to me; My earthly pilgrimage fulhlPd, Oh, may I go to thee ! THE COUNTRY CHURCH. It was an humble temple; and it stood In the enclosure of a quiet wood. The forest trees o'ershadow'd all the place, And mountains round it, added a rude grace. To charm the eye, and bid the thoughts arise Amid their towering summits, to the skies. The valley lay below, half hid from view By clustering bushes on its bank that grew ; And in its depths a winding streamlet stray'd Of crystal water, murmuring through the glade — An emblem of that living water, given To quench the thirst of spirits bound for heaven. Sweet was the rural scene of deep repose, And bright the sun that o'er the Sabbath rose, When we, as strangers, sought that house of prayei. And join'd the few who met to worship there. VVe cross'd the open door-way, sure to meet A welcome entrance and a willing seat. Amid the scant and scatter'd flock that came Their own familiar places there to claim. Free access to that dome was none denied; Nor outward show of fashion or of pride, Check'd the devotion of the solemn hour, Or took from Truth its deep, momentous power. No studied eloquence was there display'd, Nor poetry of language lent its aid, 18 206 ELIZABETH BOGART, But plain the words which from the preacher came-, A preacher young, and all unknown to fame; While youth and age a listening ear inclined, To learn the way the pearl of price to find. The solemn hymn, to ancient music set, In many a heart response of memory met. To me, it seem'd, departed Sabbaths hung Upon those notes, which gave the past a tongue To speak again in voices from the dead. And wake an echo from their silent bed. Oh ! what a power hath music ! how it sinks Into the spirit's fountain-depths, and drinks Familiar draughts perchance long buried there, And blend the scenes that are, with scenes that were. All Nature seem'd to hail that Sabbath morn, With sight and sound religion to adorn. The hills with verdure crown'd, majestic stood, The water'd valley, and the vocal wood. Whose leaves, stirr'd by the breezes' viewless vt^ings, Whisper'd in worship of the King of kings, While birds in freedom chanted forth their lays, Untaught, unwritten, to their Maker's praise. So calm, so beautiful, that lonely spot, 'Twere well that there the world should be forgot; And every thought attuned to sacred themes, Cast off awhile life's vain, distracting schemes. I love a country church, where'er it be ! It brings back happy memories to me. It cancels years, and shadows pass away, And forms beloved now mingled with the clay, By Fancy's touch, recover life and breath, And 1 forget that they are thine, O Death I Still tenants of the grave; to rise no more. Till the last trump shall sound, and time be o'er. A. D. WOODBRIDGE. Miss Woodbridge is a worthy descendant of very worthy ancestors three of whom were so eminent for their godly and charitable lives, aa to be chosen by Mrs. Sigourney, in her Biography of Pious Women, to set forth the brightest examples of religious excellence. They lived at Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and the subject of this brief notice, who was born in Penobscot County, Me., spent the happiest period of her childhood and youth among the hills of Berkshire, " the Switzerland of America." Her first poetical efforts were published in the village paper, and in Mrs. Child's Juvenile Miscellany. Afterwards she con- tributed to the New York Mirror, and wrote many tales and poems for the annuals, which were then in their palmiest days. In May 1836, she became a teacher in the Albany Female Academy ; and in ten years from that time, removed to a similar institution newly established in Brooklyn, where she still pursues with mingled gentleness and energy, her useful and honourable, though often wearisome, vocation. There is much simplicity and religious hopefulness about her effusions, which are mostly inspired by the feelings of friendship and sympathy. , life's light and shade. How strangely in this life of ours, Light Jails upon the darkest shade ! How soon the thorn is hid by flowers ! How Hope, sweet spirit, comes to aid The heart oppressed by care and pain; She whispers "all shall yet be well!" We listen to her magic strain, And yield the spirit to her spell. How oft^ when Love is like a bird Whose weary wing droops o'er the sea, 208 A. D. WOODBRIDGE. While not an answering tone is heard. She spies a verdant olive tree ; And soon within that shelt'ring bower She pours her very soul in song; While other voices wake that hour. Her gentle numbers to prolong. Thus, when this heart is sad and lone, As memory wakes her dirge-like hymn, When Hope on heavenward wing hath flown And earth seems wrapped in shadows dim • O ! then a word, a glance, a smile, A simple flower, or Childhood's glee, Will each sad thought, each care beguile. Till joy's bright fountain gushes free. To-day its waters gladly stirr'd. For Peace was nigh — that gentle Dove, 4nd sweet as song of forest bird, Came the low voice of one I love ; • And flowers, the smile of Heaven, were mine. They whisper'd, " Wherefore art thou sad .'* Of love, we are the seal and sign. We come to make thy spirit glad." Thus, ever, in the steps of grief, ' Are sown the precious seeds of joy; Each fount of Marah hath a leaf, ^ Whose healing balm we may employ. Then, 'mid life's fitful, fleeting day, Look up ! the sky is bright above I Kind voices cheer thee on thy way! Faint spirit ! trust the God of Love .' A. D. WOODERIDGE. ■• 20^ TO LILLIE. Where is the lily now ? Lily, sweet and fair! Blossoms it 'neath forest bough, Shedding fragrance there ? Doth the zephyr's softest kiss Touch its petals sweet ? Would that I were woodland bough Or the zephyr fleet ! Doth the lily flourish now ? Doth it lift its headj Joyfully, to meet the morn ? Are the night-dews shed Lovingly, on petals bright ? — Would I were the dew ! Or a beam of matin light, And ] 'd bless it too. Lily ! emblem meet art thou Of a little child ! Such as Jesus loved to bless — Meek, and undeiiled. We will trust her to His care, To His faithful breast; — Lillie dearest! Lillie fair! There, with thee, we '11 rest. ELIZABETH MARGAEET CHANDLER. Elizabbih Chandler was born at Centre, near Wilmington, Dela- ware, on the 24th of December, 1807. Tier father was a respectable farmer, who nad been educated liberally, and had studied medicine ; but while he resided in the country devoted himself principally to agricul- ture. Her mother (whose maiden name was Margaret Evans) died when she was an infant ; and soon after this event, the family removed to Phila- delphia, where Elizabeth was placed under the care of her grandmother, attended a school established by the society of Friends, and quickly evinced her fondness for literary pursuits, and her genius for poetry. Before she was sixteen, she had contributed many excellent articles in prose and verse, to some of the most popular magazines of the day ; but her retiring habits, and determined resolution to keep back her name from the public, prevented her talents from obtaining the notice they deserved. She became a member of an Anti-Slavery Society in Phila- delphia, and laboured with her pen very industriously in its behalf. In the summer of 1830, she removed with an aunt and brother to Michigan. The spot they chose for a dwelling was on the banks of the river Raisin, near the village of Tecumseh. Elizabeth gave it the name of Hazle- bank, and enjoyed herself much amidst its wild forest scenes, searching after Indian traditions, and gathering food for poetry and romance from their legendary lore. Here she lived four years, loving and beloved; and here she died, most deeply regretted, and was buried under " hei own transplanted forest-vine," in November, 1834. Her productions show much poetic fervour, and, at the same time, are by no means wanting in correctness, and elegance of expression. » T H E. B E, A N D Y W I N E .* My foot has climb'd the rocky summit's height, And in mute rapture, from its lofty brow, Mine eye is gazing round me with delight, On all of beautiful, above, below: _ • _ • A beautirul stream, flowing near the author's place of nativity (210) ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLEB 211 Tlie lleecy smoke-wreath upward curling slow, The silvery waves half hid with hoovering green. That far beneath in gentle murmurs flow. Or onward dash in foam and sparkling sheen. While rocks and forest-boughs hide half the distant scene. In sooth, from this bright wilderness 't is sweet To look through loop-holes form'd by forest-boughs. And view the landscape far beneath the feet, Where cultivation all its aid bestows. And o'er the scene an added beauty throws ; The busy harvest group, the distant mill. The quiet cattle stretch'd in calm repose. The cot, half seen behind the sloping hill, All mingled in one scene with most enchanting skill. The very air that breathes around my cheek. The summer fragrance of my native hills, Seems with the voice of other times to speak, And, while it each unquiet feeling stills. My pensive soul with hallow'd memories fills : My fathers' hall is there ; their feet have press'd The flower-gemm'd margin of these gushing rills, When lightly on the water's dimpled breast. Their ovv^n light bark beside the frail canoe w )uld rest. Oh ! if there is in beautiful and fair, A potency to charm, a power to bless •, If bright blue skies and music-breathing air, And nature in her every varied dress Of peaceful beauty and wild loveliness. Can shed across the heart one sunshine ray. Then others, too, sweet stream, wdth only less Than mine ovvn joy, shall gaze, and bear away '■^ome cherish'd thought of thee for many a coming day. 212 ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLER. But yet not utterly obscure thy banks, Nor all unknown to history's page thy name; For there wild war hath pour'd his battle ranks, And stamp'd in characters of blood and flame, Thine annals in the chronicles of fame. The wave that ripples on, so calm and still. Hath trembled at the war-cry's loud acclaim, The cannon's voice hath roll'd from hill to hill, ALiid 'midst thy echoing vales the trump hath sounded shrill My country's standard waved on yonder height, Her red cross banner England there display'd. And there the German, who, for foreign fight, Had left his own domestic hearth, and made War, with its horrors and its blood, a trade, Amidst the battle stood; and all the day. The bursting bomb, the furious cannonade. The bugle's martial notes, the musket's play, III mingled uproar wild, resounded far away. Thick clouds of smoke obscured the clear bright sky, And hung above them like a funeral pall, Shrouding both friend and foe, so soon to lie Like brethren slumbering in one father's hall. The work of death went on, and when the fall Of night came onward silently, and shed A dreary hush, where late was uproar all. How many a brother's heart in anguish bled O'er cherish'd ones, who there lay resting with the dead. Unshrouded and. uncoffin'd they were laid Within the soldier's grave, e'en where they fell ; At noon they proudly trod the field — the spade At night dug out their resting-place — and well And calmly did they slumber, though no bell Peal'd over them its solemn music slow; The niglit-winds sung their only dirge, their knel] ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLER, 213 Was but the owlet's boding cry of woe, The flap of night-hawk's wing, and murmuring waters' flow, But it is over now, — the plough hath rased All trace of where war's wasting hand hath been; No vestige of the battle may be traced. Save where the share, in passing o'er the scene, Turns up some rusted ball ; the maize is green On what was once the death-bed of the brave; Tht waters have resumed their wonted sheen ; The wild bird sings in cadence with the wave. And nought remains to show the sleeping soldier's grave. A pebble stone that on the war-fleld lay. And a wild-rose that blossom'd brightly there, Were all the relics that I bore away. To tell that 1 had trod the scene of war. When I had turn'd my footsteps homeward far. These may seem childish things to some ; to me They shall be treasured ones ; and, like the star That guides the sailor o'er the pathless sea. They shall lead back my thoughts, loved Brandy wine, to thee, ' THE soldier's PRAYER. Garden, in liis " Anecdotes of the Revolution," when describing ihe sufferings of the army, mentions the circumstance of a soldier having earnestly entreated permission to visit his family, which was refused on the ground that the same favour must be granted to others, who could not be spared without weakening the army, whose strength was already reduced by sickness. He acquiesced in the justice of the denial, but added, that to him refusal would be death. He was a brave and valu- able soldier, and apparently in health at the time; — but his words were verified. I CARE not for the hurried march through August's burning noon, Nor for the long cold v/ard at night, beneath the dewy moon ; I've calmly felt the winter's storms, o'er my unshelter'd head. And trod the snow with naked foot, till every track was red ' 214 ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLEB My soldier's fare is poor and scant — 'tis what my comrades share, Yon heaven my only canopy — but that I well can bear; A dull and feverish weight of pain is pressing on my brow, And I am faint with recent wounds — for that I care not now. But oh, I long once more to view my childhood's dwelling- place, To clasp my mother to my heart — to see my father's face.' To list each well reraember'd tone, to gaze on every eye That met my ear, or thrill'd my heart, in moments long gone by. In vain with long and frequent draught of every wave I sip, — A quenchless and consuming thirst is ever on my lip ! The very air that fans my cheek no blessed coolness brings, — A burning heat or chilling damp is ever on its wings. Oh! let me seek my home once more — for but a little while — But once above my couch to see my mother's gentle smile ; Jt haunts me in my waking hours — 'tis ever in my dreams, With all the pleasant paths of home, rocks, woods, and shaded streams. There is a fount, — I know it v/ell — it springs beneath a rock. Oh, how its coolness and its light, my feverish fancies mock ! I pine to lay me by its side, and bathe my lips and brow, 'T would give new fervour to the heart that beats so languid now. • I may not — I must linger here — perchance it maybe just! But well i know this yearning soon will scorch my heart to dust! One breathing of my native air had call'd me back to life — But I must die — must waste away beneath this inward strife. ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLER. 215 THE DEVOTED. It was a beautiful turn given by a great lady, who being asked where her husband was, when he lay concealed for ha\^ing been deeply con- cerned in a conspiracy, resolutely answered that she had hidden him. This confession caused her to be carried before the governor, who told her that nought but confessing where she had hidden him, could save her from the torture, "And will that do?" said she. " Yes," replied the governor, "I will pass my word for your safety, on that condition." "Then," replied she, "I have hidden him in my heart, where you may find him." Stern faces were around them bent, and eyes of vengeful ire, And fearful were the words they spake of torture, stake, and fire : Yet calmly in the midst she stood, with eye undimm'd and clear. And though her lip and cheek were white, she wore no sign of fear. '^ Where is thy traitor spouse ?" they said; — a half-form'd smile of scorn, That curPd upon her haughty lip, was back for answer borne ; — " Where is thy traitor spouse ?" again, in fiercer notes, they said. And sternly pointed to the rack, all rusted o'er with red ! Her heart and pulse beat firm and free — but in a crimson flood, O'er pallid lip and cheek and brow, rush'd up the burning blood ; She spake, but proudly rose her tones, as when in hall or bower. The haughtiest chief that round her stood had meekly own'd their power; '•'My noble Lord is placed within a safe and sure retreat"— •'' Now tell us where, thou lady bright, as thou wouldst mercy meet, 216 ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLER. N'or deem thy life can purchase his — he cannot 'scape out wrath, For many a warrior's watchful eye is placed o'er every path. 'But thou mayest win his broad estates to grace thine infant heir, And life and honour to thyself, so thou his haunts declare." She laid her hand upon her heart; her eye fiash'd proud an(] clear. And firmer grew her haughty tread; — "My lord is hidden here ! " And if ye seek to view his form, ye first must tear away, From round his secret dwelling-place these walls of living clay!" ' They quail'd beneath her haughty glance, they silent turn'd aside. And left her all unharm'd amidst her loveliness and pride! THE CHINESE S ON. The following lines were suggested by reading a narrative of a Chi nese youth, whose mother felt great alarm during the prevalence of a thunder-storm, and whose filial affection always prompted him to be present with his mother on such occasions, and even after her death to visit and remain at her grave, during their continuance. I COME to thee, my mother! the black sky Is swollen with its thunder, and the air Seems palpable with darkness, save when high. The lurid lightning streams a ruddy glare Across the heavens, rousing from their lair The deep-voiced thunders! how the mounting storm Strides o'er the firmament I yet I can dare Its fiercest terrors, mother, that my arm May wind its shield of love around thy sleeping form. What uproar! raging winds, and smiting hail, • ' The lightning's blaze, and deaf'ning thunder's crash, ELIZABETH MARGARET CHANDLER. 217 Let loose at once* for havoc! I should quail Before the terrors of the forked flash, Did not the thought of thee triumphant dasii All selfish fears aside, and bid irie fly To kneel beside thy grave; the rain-drops plash Heavily round thee from the rifted sky ; Yet I am here, fear not — beside thy couch I lie. Thou canst not hear me — the storm brings not now One terror to thy bosom — yet 'tis sweet To call to mind the smile, wherewith thy brow Was wont in by-gone days my step to greet, When o'er the earth the summer tempest beat, And the loosed thunder shook the heavens — but when Was there a look of mine that did not meet A smile of love from thee ? the world of men A friend, like thou hast been, will never yield again. Oh! mother, mother, how could love like thine Pass from the earth away ! on other eyes. The glances of maternal love will shine. And still on other hearts the blessing lies. That made mine blissful ; yet far less they prize That boon of happiness — and in their glee, Around their spirits gather many ties Of joy and tenderness — but all to me That made the earth seem bright, is sepulchred with tlice They sometimes strive to lead me to the halls Where wine and mirth the fleeting moments wing, But on my clouded spirit sadness fails More darkly then, than when the cave-glooms fling Their shadow^s round me, and the night- winds sing Through the torn rocks their melancholy dirge. Or when as now the echoing thunder rings O'er the wide heavens, and the mad gales urge Unto an answering cry, the overmastering surge. 19 218 EMMA C. EMBURY. The storms of nature pass, and soon no trace Is left to mark their ravage — but long years Pass Imgeringly onward, nor efface The deep-cut channel of our burnmg tears, Or aching scars, that wasting sorrow sears Upon the breast: lo! even now, a gleam Of moonlight through the broken clouds appears. To bless the earth again. I fain would dream, It was a sm.ile of thine, to bless me w^ith its beam. EMMA C. EMBURY. This gifted lady was born in New York, where her father, Br, Manly, has been practising as a physician many years. She was mar- ried when quite young to Mr. Embury, a gentleman of wealth and education, who himself possesses no small claim to distinction, for his superior talents, and high intellectual attainments. He is considered one of the first mathematicians in the country. Mrs. Embury wrote for the various periodicals at an early age, under the name of lanthe ; and in the year 1828, these contributions, with many other pieces, were collected into a volume; called Guido and other Poems. Her juvenile productions, however, although in their versification remarkably flow- ing and sweet, are not- to be compared with her after works, which are written with great freshness and vigour, and display as much sound sense as tender sentiment. In the course of a few years Mrs. Embury became very popular as a prose- writer ; published a work on Female Education ; after that, Coii- stance Latimer, the Blind Girl; and several tales of much beauty, and moral excellence. A little book, Love''s Token Flowers, appeared in 1845, whichj she says in the short preface prefixed to it, "differs from other works of floral sentiment, inasmuch as it is not a compilation, but a collection of original poems ;" a,dding, " though they are perhaps but Uttle worthy of appropriation, yet they have that value which the simple EMMA C. EMBURY- 21S philosophy of Touchstone recognises, a poor thing, sir, but my own.'''' This modest little book contains many of the most exquisite songs that were ever written, the pure melodious accents of music-making !ove; and a few larger poems,more serious, but not less sweet. Mrs. Snibury has recently written a prose work called Glimpses of Home Life, which well sustains the reputation which has so long been hers, as one of the most useful and attractive of American authoresses. Mrs. Embury resides at Brooklyn, where she has lived ever since her marriage. Her many home-bred virtues and capabilities, her well- ordered household, and the happiness, harmony, and content which reign there, prove a delightful contradiction to the vulgar idea, that women of genius cannot be women of domestic worth. But it is certainly true, as a noble writer of great penetration (Hannah More) affirms, that " those women who are so puffed up with the conceit of talents, as to neglect the plain duties of life, will not often be found to be women of the best abilities." No employment of native genius, how- ever lofty and honourable in itself considered, no exertion after the applause, the gratification, or even the improvement of the public, can absolve a wife and mother from her highest, holiest obligation— to make home happy. "the night COMETH." Ye, who in the field of human life Quickening seeds of wisdom fain would .sow, Pause not for the angry tempest's strife, Shrink not from the noontide's fervid glow — Labour on, while yet the light of day Sheds abroad its pure and blessed ray. For the Night comxetli!* Ye, who at man's mightiest engine stand Moulding noble thought into opinion, Oh, stay not, for weariness, your hand. Till ye fix the bounds of truth's dominion ; Labour on, v/hile yet the light of day Sheds upon your toil its blessed ray. For the Nig-ht cometh ? 220 EMMA C. EMBURY. Ye. to whom a prophet voice is given, Stirring men, as by a trumpet's call. Utter forth the oracles of Heaven — Earth gives back the echoes as they fall : Rouse the world's great heart, while yet the day Breaks life's slumber with its blessed ray. For the Night cometh! Ye, who in home's narrow circle dv/ell. Where Love's flame lights up the household hearth. Weave the silken bond, and frame the spell, Binding heart to heart throughout the earth; Pleasant toil is yours ; the light of day On nought holier sheds its blessed ray. Yet the Night cometh! Diverse though our paths in life may be. Each is sent some mission to fulfil; Fellow-workers in the world are we, While we seek to do our Master's will; But our doom is labour, while the day Points us to our task, with blessed ray, For the Night cometh! Fellow-workers are we : hour by hour. Human tools are shaping Heaven's great schemes, Till we see no limit to man's power. And reality outstrips old dreams. Toil and struggle, therefore, work and weep. In God's acre ye shall calmly sleep, When the Night cometh ' EMMA C. EMBURY. (f H RIST IN THE TEMPEST ST. MATTHEW, viii. 24 — 27. Midnight was on the mighty deep, And aarkness filled the boundless sky While 'mid the raging wind was heard The sea-bird's mournful cry ; For tempest clouds were mustering wrath Across the seaman's trackless path. It came at length — one fearful gust nent from the mast the shivering sail, And drove the helpless bark along. The plaything of the gale. While fearfully the lightning's glare Fell on the pale brows gathered there. But there was one o'er whose bright face Unmarked the livid lightnings flashed; And on whose stirless, prostrate form Unfelt the sea-spray dashed ; For 'mid the tempest fierce and wild, He slumbered like a wearied child. Oh! who could look upon that face, And feel the sting of coward fear : Though hell's fierce demons raged around, Yet heaven itself was here; For who that glorious brow could see, Nor own a present Deity } With hurried fear they press around The lowly Saviour's humble bed, As if his very touch had^ power To shield their souls from dread; 19* 222 EMMA C. EMBURY. While, cradled on the raging deep. He lay in calm and tranquil sleep. ^ Vainly they struggled with their fears, But wilder " still the tempest woke, Till from their full and o'erfraught hearts The voice of terror broke : "Behold! we sink beneath the wave. We perish, Lord! but thou canst save." Slowly he rose ; and mild rebuke Shone in his soft and heaven-lit eye: " Oh ye of little faith," he cried, " Is not your master nigh ? • * Is not your hope of succour just ? Why know ye not in whom ye trust?" He turned away, and conscious power Dilated his majestic form. As o'er the boiling sea he bent. The ruler of the stori^; Earth to its centre felt the thrill. As low he murmured : " Peace ! Be still T' Hark to the burst of meeting waves, The roaring of the angry sea ! A moment more, and all is hushed In deep tranquillity; WhiJe not a breeze is near to break The mirrored surface of the lake. Then on the stricken hearts of all Fell anxious doubt and holy awe, As timidly they gazed on him Whose will was nature's law : " What man ia this," ^ey cry, " whose word E'en by the raging sea is heard ?" EMMA C . EMBURY. 22S -i-co JANE OF FRANCE. ='^Jeanne cle France etoit fiUe de Louis XI. et soeuv de Charles VIII On la mari a I'age de vingt deux ans avec Louis XII., I'an 1476. Elitj en usa bien ayec lui pendant qu' il etoit disgracie ; et ce fat elle qtii, par ses prieres, la fit sortir de prison, Tan 1491 ; mais cela ne fut point capable de* balancer dans le coeur de son mari I'inclination violente qu' il avoit pour la veuve de Charles VIII. C'etoit Anne de Bretagne, il I'avo'it aimee, et en avoit ete airae avant qu' elle epousat Charles. Afin done de contenter son envie, ilftt ronipre son mariage, et il promit tan* de recompense au Pape Alexandre VI. qu' il en obtint tout ce qu' il voulat." — Baylc — Didionnaire. Pale, cold and statue-like she sate, and her impeded breath Came gaspingly, as if her Iieart was in the grasp of death, While listening to the harsh decree that robbed her of a throne. And left the gentle child of kings in the wide world alone. And fearful Vv^as her look; in vain her trembling maidens moved. With .all aiTection's tender care, round her whom well they loved ; Stirless she sate, as if enchained by some resistless spell. Till with one wild, heart-piercing shriek in their embrace she fell. How bitter was the hour she woke from that long dreamless trance ! The veriest v/retch might pity then the envied Jane of France ; But soon her o'erfraught heart gave way, tears came to her relief, And thus, in low and plaintive tones, she breathed her hope- less grief: '^ Oh ! ever have I dreaded this, since at the holy shrine My trembling hand first felt the cold, reluctant grasp of thme , And yet I hoped — My own beloved, how may I teach ray heart To gaze upon thy gentle face and know that we must part r 224 EMMAC. EMBURY. "Too well I knew thou lovedst me not, but ah! 1 fondly thought That years of such deep love as mine some change ere this had wrought; I dreamed the hour might yet arrive, when, sick of passion's strife, rhy heart would turn with quiet joy to thy neglected wife. " Vain, foolish hope ! how could I look upon thy glorious form. And think that e'er the time might come when thou wouldst cease to charm ? For ne'er till then wilt thou be freed from beauty's magic art, Or cease to prize a sunny smile beyond a faithful heart. '^ In vain from memory's darkened scroll would other thoughts erase The loathing that was in thine eye, whene'er it met my face : Oh ! I would give the fairest realm, beneath the all-seeing sun, To win but such a form -as thou mightst love to look upon. " Woe, woe for woman's weary, lot, if beauty be not hers ; Vainly within her gentle breast affection w^ildly stirs ; And bitterly will she deplore, amid her sick heart's dearth. The hour that fixed her fearful doom — a helot from her birth. ^I would thou hadst been cold and stern, — the pride of my high race Had taught me then from my young heart thine image to efface ; But surely even love's sweet tones could ne'er have power to bless My bosom with such joy as did thy pitying tenderness. EMMA C. EMBURY. 225. " Alas ! it is a heavy task to curb the haughty soul, And bid th' unbending spirit bow that never knew conh-ol; But harder still when thus the heart against itself must rise, And struggle on, while every hope that nerved the warfare dies. '^Yet all this have I borne for thee — ay, for thy sake 1 learned The gentleness of thought and word which once my proud heart spurned; The treasures of an untouched heart, the wealth of love's rich mine. These are the offerings that I laid upon my idol's shrine. 0k " In vain I breathed my vows to heaven, 'twas mockery^ of prayer ; In vain I knelt before the cross, I saw but Louis tTlere: To him I gave the worship that I should have paid my God, But oh ! should his have been the hand to wield the avenging rod ? ABSENCE. Come to me, Love ; forget each' sordid duty That chains thy footsteps to the crowded mart. Come, look "^ith me upon earth's summer beauty. And let its influence cheer thy weary heart. Come to me, Love! Come to me. Love; the voice of song is swelling From nature's harp in every varied tone. And many a voice of bird and bee is telling A tale of joy amid the forests lone ; Come to me. Love! p .•226 EMMA C. EMBURY. Come to me, Love ; my heart can never doubt thee. Yet for thy sweet companionship I pine; Oh, never more can joy be joy without thoe, My pleasures, even as my life, are thine ; Come to me. Love ! FAREWELL. Go, dearest one, nor think my heart Will ever breathe a sigh, Because it never more may share Thy glorious destiny. My love has never sought reward, 'T was joy enough for me To dwell v/ithin my solitude. And cherish thoughts of thee. • While yet a -child I freely gave Affection's untold wealth. Since then I've seen the swift decay Of hope, and joy, and health. Yet murmured not at Heaven's decree. Though thus of all bereft. While thou, beloved, wert at my side, A world of bliss was left. Though other ties thy soul may bind. Though we are doomed to part, Yet still it is no sin to hide • Thine image in my heart; So sweet, so holy was the spell By Love around me cast, That even now I would not wake, Although the charm be past. Within thy memory by-past days Will leave a pleasant trace, //.r//' EMMA C . EMBURY. 227 Not all another's happier love Those bright tints can efface ; Her lot must be a joyous one, If thou her fate control, But I have known that higher bliss — A union of the soul. Farewell, beloved one : when thy brow The laurel-crown shall bind, When men are taught by thee to own The sovereignty of mind, Then think of one who looks on thee vVith more than woman's pride, And glories in the thought that she Has been thy spirit's bride. MAIDEN PURITY. (THE LILY OF THE NILE.) Be thine the emblem, sweet one — watch and pray. Win thy young, stainless heart from earthly things ; Oh ! wait not thou till life's bright morning ray Only o'er blighted hopes its radiance flings, But give to Heaven thy sinless spirit nov/. Ere sorrow's tracery mar thy placid brow. Sinless and pure thou art, yet is thy soul Filled with a maiden's vague and pleasant dreams, ^ Sweet fantasies that mock at truth's control. Like atoms round thee float in fancy's' beams ; But trust them not, young dreamer — bid them flee. They have deceived all others, and will thee. Well can I read thy thoughts — thy gentle heart (Already v/oman's in its wish to bless) Now longs for one to whom it may impart Its untold wealth of hidden tenderness, 228 EMMA C. EMBURY. And yearns to know the meaning of the thnll That wakes when fancy stirs affection's rill. Thou dreamest of love's happiness, — the deep And placid joy which poets paint so well. Alas ! our passions, even when they sleep, Like ocean waves, are heaved with secret swell, And they who hear the frequent, low-breathed sigh. Know 'tis the wailing of the storm gone by. Vain, vain are all thy visions ; couldst thou know The secrets of a woman's weary lot, Oh ! couldst thou read upon her pride-veiled brow Her wasted tenderness, her love forgot. In humbleness of heart thou wouldst kneel down, And pray for strength to wear her martyr crown. HOW HAVE I THOUGHT OF THEE? How have I thought of thee .'* as flies The dove to seek her mate, Trembling lest some rude hand has made Her sweet home desolate ; Thus timidly I seek in thine, The only heart that throbs with mine. How have I thcrught of thee .'* as turns The flower to meet the sun. E'en though, when clouds and storms arise^ It be not shone upon : Thus, dear one, in thine eye I see The only light that beams for me. , How have I thought of thee ? as dreams The mariner of home. When doomed o'er many a weary waste Of waters yet to roam ; EMMA C. EMBURY. 229 Thus doth my spirit turn to tl^ie, My guiding star o'er life's wild sea. How have I thought of thee ? as kneels The Persian at the shrine Of his resplendent god, to watch His earliest glories shine ; Thus doth my spirit bow to thee, My soul's own radiant deity. CONFIDENCE IN HEAVEN. It is in vain the weary spirit strives • With that which doth consmne it ; — there is born A strength from suffering which can laugh to scorn The stroke of sorrow, even though it rives Our very heart-strings ; — but the grief that lives For ever in the heart, and day by day Wastes the soul's high-wrought energies away, And wears the lofty spirit down, and gives Its own dark hue to life, oh ! who can bear ? Yet, as the black and threatening tempests bring New fragrance to earth's flowers, and tints more fair. So beneath sorrow's nurture virtues' spring. Youth, health, and hope, may fade, but theje is left A soul that trusts in Heaven, though thus of all bereft. REMEMBRANCE. Thou hast left us, and for ever; The light of those sweet eyes Will beam upon us never Till we meet beyond the skies- Life's sunshine was around thee. The world looked glad and bright. And the ties of love that bound thee Might have stayed thy spirit's flight; 20 23C EMMA C. EMBURY, But the fronds that earth entwineth Are all too weak to stay, When the far off Heaven shineth, The spirit's upward way. Thou hast left us, and for ever; Thy smile of quiet mirth, Thy low sweet voice, shall never Soothe our aching hearts on earth; . The joys thy presence cherished Like mourning dreams have fled. And many a fair hope perished Upon thy narrow bed. For the love that we have borne thee Thy loss we needs must weep, But even while we mourn thee We envy thee thy sleep. LOVE ME STILL. When 'mid the festive scene we meet. To joyous bosoms dear, Though other voices fall more sweet *Upon thy listening ear. Yet scorn not thou my ruder tone; Oh ! think my heart is all thine own, And love me still. When o'er young Beauty's cheek of rose Thine eye delighted strays. Half proud to watch the blush that glows Beneath thine ardent gaze. Oh! think that but for sorrow's blight My faded cheek 'had yet been bright, And love me still. EMMA C. EMBURY. 231 POOR, BUT II A r P y . We 'll have a cot Upon the banks of some meandering stream, Whose ripple, like the nuirmur of a dream, Shall be our music : roses there shall twine Around the casement, with the jessamine. Whose starry blossoms shine out from beneath Their veiling leaves, like hope, and v/hose faint breath Is sweet as memory's perfume. All the flowers That nature in her richest bounty showers Shall deck our home : fresh violets, that, like light. And love, and hope, dwell everywhere ; the bright And fragrant honeysuckle, too ; our feet Shall pVess the daisy's bloom. Oh ! 't will be sweet To sit within the porch at eventide. And drink the breath of heaven at thy dear side. The sky will wear a smale unseen before. The sun for me more genial light will pour, Earth will give out its treasures rich and rare. New health will come in every balmy air. Then thou wilt ope to me great Nature's book, And nightly on the star-gemmed heavens we'll look; Thou, with the pride of knowledge, wilt unfold The mighty chart where science is enrolled, And gaily smile when I recount to thee My wild and wayward flights of fantasy ; For the frail beings of my dreamy heaven Shrink from the light by scholiast wisdom given. Wilt thou not joy to see the vivid glow Of my expanded mind, when I shall owe Its treasures all to thee ? EMMA C. EMBURY. Methinks it would be grief for me to bear E'en bliss, beloved, unless thou too might share; But oh! were, joy poured forth in such excess, My heart would break from very happiness. ERROR. Because my heart dwelt not like cloistered nun In lonely cell unquiet silence keeping, Because it went forth 'neath Hope's blessed sun. And freely shared another's joy and weeping, Thou hast mistaken me. Because my sympathy awoke from sleep, And frankly did unclose affection's portal To thoughts of tenderness as pure, as deep, As ever proved the human soul immortal,* Thou hast mistaken me. Because thy feebler spirit, lacking power. By generous thought such priceless love to measure^ Awoke its base distrust in that sweet hour When my fond heart revealed its hidden treasure. Thou hast mistaken me. INQUIETUDE. Methought the icy hand of Time had chilled The gushing fount of passion in my breast — Methought that Reason's power, for aye, had stilled The bitter struggles of my heart's unrest. Cold, calm, and self-possessing, I had deemed In quiet now to view life slip away — Forgetting much that once my soul had dreamed. And lengthening out in peace my little day. •EMMA C. EMBURY. 233 Safe in indiiFerence, I had vainly hoped To scorn the sympathy 1 might not share, And little thought mine own hand would have oped My bosom's portal to returning care. How burns the blush of shame upon my cheek — How bends to earth in grief my haughty brow, When thus I find myself disarmed and weak Before the fdeal shapes that haunt me now ! Oh' God ! how long, misled by erring thought, Shall I grope darkly on in feeling's maze ? When shall I be by Time's sad lessons taught. And reach my home of rest by quiet ways .? oh! tell me not of lofty fate. Oh ! tell me not of lofty fate, Of glory's deathless name ; The bosom Love leaves desolate, Has naught to do with fame. Vainly philosophy would soar — Love's height it may not reach; The heart soon learns a sweeter lore Than ever sage could teach. *b" The cup may bear a poisoned draught, The altar may be cold, But yet the chalice will be quaffed — The shrine sought as of old. Man's sterner nature turns away To seek ambition's goal ; Wealth's glittering gifts, and pleasure's ray, May charm his weary soul; — 20* 234 EMMA C. EMBURY.* But woman knows one only dreanj — = That broken, all is o'er; For on life's dark and sluggish stream Hope's sunbeam rests no more. DARK THOUGHTS. Ah! is this, then, the common lot — The end of earthly love and trust? To be by cherished ones forgot. When the frail body sleeps in dust? Shall hearts, which now with love run o'er, Retain for us no deeper trace Than leaves the foot-print on the shore, Which the next wavelet may efface ? Shall those v/ho once could only live Within the sunshine of our smile, To whom existence could not give A joy unshared by us the while : ' Shall they 'mid other joys live on, And form anew affection's tie, When we from earth's delights are gone. For ever hid from human eye ? Ay, thus it is th' eternal laws That rule our nature are obeyed : Not in mid conflict may we pause To linger long where love is laid. We pile the turf above the breast Which pillowed oft our aching head- Then turn, and leave unto its rest Our buried, half-forgotten dead. Tears — the heart's desolating rain, Awhile upon our path may fall, EMMA C . E M B U K Y . ' ^35 Bui hope's sweet sunshine smiles again On all things save the funeral pall : — Anon the dirge's mournful measure Is changed to some less saddening strain, And soon the echoing voice of pleasure Tells Love and Grief alike were vain. We form new schemes of future bliss, New flowers spring up to cheer our way, And scarcely from our side we miss The partners of life's earlier day; Alas ! how vain our noblest feelings. How idle would affection seem, Did not God give us bright revealings Of Life, where Love is not a dream ! HEEDLESSNESS. When like a fairy scene, in youth, The untried world is spread before us, When fancy wears the garb of truth. And sunny skies are shining o'er us ; When never yet a dream of woe The heart's deep sympathies have stirred. How little then our spirits know The evils of a thoughtless word ! When one by one our joys depart. When hope no more each bright hour measures- When, like a Niobe, the heart Sits lonely 'mid its perished treasures; When far from human aid we turn, And human comfort is unheard, Oh ! then, how bitterly we learn The anguish of a thoughtless word! SAEAH HELENA WHITMAN. Mrs. Whitman, whose maiden name was Power, is a native of Pro- vidence, Rhode Island. Her father, a merchant of that city, was descended from Nicholas Power, who, with a few other bold spirits, consorted with Roger Williams after his exile from Salem, " to estab- lish in the wilderness, a community maintaining the entire emancipation of the individual mind from all spiritual jurisdiction and thraldom." For his liberal opinions he was illiberally arraigned before the General Court of Massachusetts, in 1642. Miss Power was married in 1828 to John Winslow Whitman, a son of the Hon. Kilborn Whitman, of Pembroke, Mass. ; and a descendant on the mother's side from Edward Winslow, the first governor of Plymouth. Mr. Whitman passed his childhood at the residence of his grandfather, Careswell farm, Marshfield. We mention this, because it was a spot that possessed many charms for the poetical mind of his gifted wife, who has published an interesting account of a visit made to the old mansion ; when it was still graced with many of the antique oaken chairs and massive tables brought to this country in the May-Flower, its walls still decorated with the curious old family pictures, which have since been deposited in the Antiquarian and Historical Societies of Massachusetts. Mr. Whitman commenced the practice of law in Boston, and was distin- guished for his learning and wit; but, while all things promised him a brilliant and successful career, he was ciit off in the midst of his days. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Whitman returned to her native city, and has resided there with her mother ever since. She has, for some years past, contributed to the best of our magazines and reviews; and her skilful pen has won — not a wide popularity, but — an honourable reputation among the most able judges in matters of literary taste. Her prose writings exhibit much clearness of perception, and vigour of thought. Her translations from the German poets have been highly praised for the ability with which the spirit of the origi- nal is retained ; none of the freshness or bloom being lost in passing through her delicate hands. Her own poems are chiefly records of expedience ; : — the experience of a gentle and refined woman, devoted (236) SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. 237 to beauty, nature, and truth. Her love for nature has made her a keen observer, and many of her descriptions are most exquisitely painte(i landscapes. Her ear is fine for the melody of language; and her taste correct in the use of it. THOUGHTS OF THE PAST. " A green and silent spot among the hills." COLEIIIBB] In the soft gloom of summer's balmy eve, When from the lingering glances of the sun The sad earth turns away her blushing cheek, Mantling its glow in twilight's shadowy veil, — Oft 'mid the falling dews I love to stray; Onward and onward through the pleasant fields. Far up the lilied borders of the stream. To this "green silent spot among the hills," Endeared by thronging memories of the past. Oft have I lingered on this rustic bridge, To view the limpid waters, winding on Under dim-vaulted woods, whose' woven boughs Of beach, and maple, and broad sycamore, Throw their soft moving shadows o'er the wave, While blossomed vines, dropt to the water's brim, Hang idly swaying in the summer wind. The birds that wander thro' the twilight heaven Are mirror'd far beneath me; — and young leaves That tremble on the birch tree's silver boughs, In the cool wave reflected, gleam below Like twinkling stars athwart the verdant gloom. A sound of rippling water rises sweet Amid the silence ; and the western breeze Sighing through sedges, and low meadow blooms, 238 SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. Comes wafting gentle thoughts from 'Memory's land, And wakes the long hushed music of the heart. Oft dewy spring hath brimmed the brook with showers. Oft hath the long, bright summer fringed its banks With fragrant blossoms, and the autumn sere Shed mellow hues on all its wooded shores, Since first I trod these paths in youth's sweet prime. With loved ones whom time's desolating wave Hath wafted now*for ever from my side. The living stream still lingers on its way In idle dalliance with the dew-lipped flowers, That toss their fairy heads at its caress, Or trembling listen to its silver voice ; While through yon rifted boughs, the evening star Is seen above the hill-top, beautiful As when on many a balmy summer night, Lapp'd in sweet dreams, " in holy passion hush'd," I saw its ray slant through the dusky pines. Long years have passed, and by the unchanging stream, Bereft and sorrovv^-taught, alone I stand Listening the hollow music of. the winds. Alone, — alone; — the stars are far away. And frequent clouds shut out the summer heaven. But still the calm earth keeps her constant course, And whispers — '■ " Hope," thro' all her breathing bowers ! Not all in vain the vision of our youth, The apocalypse of beauty and of love. The stag-like heart of hope; — life's mystic dream The soul shall yet interpret, to our praj'-er The Isis veil be lifted! Though we pine E'en 'mid the ungather'd roses of our youth, Pierced with strange pangs, and longings vague yet sweet. As if earth's fairest flowers served but to wake SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. 23; Sad haunting memories of our Eden home; — Not all in vain ! . Bleantime in patient trust ■ . Rest we on Nature's bosom; from her eye Serene and still, drinking in faith and love ; To her calm pulse attempering the heart That throbs too wildly for ideal bliss. Oh! holy mother, heal me, for 1 faint Upon life's arid pathway, and " my feet On the dark mountains stumble !" Near thy heart Close nestling let me lie, and let thy breath, Fragrant and cool, fall on my fever'd cheek, As in those unworn ages ere pale thought Forestall'd life's patient harvest. Give me strength In generous abandonment of heart. To follow wheresoe'er o'er the world's v/asle The cloudy pillar moveth, till at last It guides to pleasant vales and pastures green, By the still waters of eternal life ! A SONG OF SPRING. In April's dim and showery nights, When wandering perfumes, faint and rare, Float on the breeze ; and phosphor lights Glimmer and fade along the air; When the green turf is white with flowers, Where orchards shed tlieir floral wreath, And like the fairy-gifted child. Drop precious pearls at every breath ; When all night long the boughs are stirr'd With fitful v/arblings from the nest, And the heart flutters like a bird. With its sweet, passionate unrest ; 240 SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. Oh ! then, beloved, I think on thee I And on that life, so strangely fair, Ere yet one cloud of memory Had gather'd in hope's golden air. I think on thee, and thy lone grave, On the green hiM-side far away; I see the wilding flowers that wave Around thee, as the night-winds sway Though Hope can ne'er on earth fulfil The glory of her morning dream. The mystic soul of Nature still Resumes her sweet, unfailing theme. As Proserpine returned once more On Enna's flowery fields to. rove, Still doth the breathing spring restore The sorrowing heart to light and love. And still though only clouds remain On life's horizon, cold and drear; The dream of youth returns again. With the sweet promise of the year. DAVID.* And he sent and brought him in. Now David was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he." — I. Sam. xvi. 11, 12. Ay, this is he — the bold and gentle boy. That in lone pastures by the momitain's side Guarded his fold, and through the midnight sky Saw on the blast the " God of battles" ride ; * Suggested by Hoppin's Statue, representing the young champion of Israel in the act of throwing the sling. SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. 24] Belield his bannered armies on the height. And heard their clarion sound through all the stormy night. The valiant boy that o'er the twilight . wold Tracked the dark lion and ensanguined bear ; Following their bloody footsteps from the fold Far down the gorges to their lonely lair; This the stout heart, that from the lion's jaw Back o'er the shuddering waste the bleeding victim bore. Though his fair locks lie all unshorn and bare To the bold toying of the mountain wind, A conscious glory haunts the o'ershadowing air, And w^ts with, glittering coil his brows to bind, While his proud temples bend superbly down. As if they felt e'en now the burden of a crown. Though a stern sorrow slumbers in his eyes. As if his prophet glance foresaw the day When the dark waters o'er his soul sh^ld rise. And friends and lovers wander far away; Yet tlie graced impress of that floral mouth Breathes of love's golden dream and the voluptuous South. Peerless in beauty as the prophet star. That in the dewy trances of the dawn Floats o'er the solitaTy hills afar. And brings sweet tidings of the lingering morn ; Or weary at the day-god's loitering wain. Strikes on the harp of light a soft prelusive strain. So his wild harp with psaltery and shawm Awoke the nations in thick darkness furled. While mystic winds from Gilead's groves of balm Wafted its sweet hosannas through the world; So when the day-spring from on high he sang, With joy the ancient hills and lonely valleys rang. 21 Q ' 242 SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. Ay, this is he — the minstrel, prophet, king, Before whose arm princes and warriors sank ; Who dwelt beneath Jehovah's mighty wing. And from the " river of his pleasures" drank ; Or through the rent pavilions of the storm Beheld the cloud of fire that veiled his awful form. And now he stands as when in Elah's vale, Where warriors set the battle in array, He met the Titan in his ponderous mail. Whose haughty challenge many a Summer's day Rang through the border hills, while all the host Of faithless Israel heard and trembled at his bqfist. Till the slight stripling from the mountain fold Stood, all unarm'd, amid their sounding shields, And in his youth's first- bloom, devoutly bold, Dared the grim champion of a thousand fields ; So stands he ncH^, as in Jehovah's might Glorying, he met the foe and won the immortal fight. SHE BLOOMS NO MORE. O SpniivG ! youth of the year — fair mother of flowers ! Thou re tarnest,.but with thee return not the serer^e and fortunate days of joy,— Guariita. I DREAD to see the Summer sun Come gloAving up the sky. And modest flow'rets, one by one, Opening the violet eye; The choral melody of June — The perfumed breath of heaven — * The dewy morn — the radiant noon---' The lingering light of even ; ^aRAH HELENA WHITMAN. 243 These, which so charm'd my careless heart In happy days gone by, A deeper sadness now impart To memory's thoughtful eye. They speak of one who sleeps in death, Her race untimely o'er, Who ne'er shall taste Spring's honied breaiha Nor see her glories more. Of one wjio shared with me, in youth Life's sunshine and its flowers. And kept unchanged her bosom's trutl Through all its darkest hours. She faded when the leaves were sere, And wailed the Autumn blast; With all the glories of the year From earth her spirit pass'd. Again the nodding lilac bows Beneath its plumy crest; In yonder hedge the hawthorn blows, The robin builds his nest. The floating vines she loved to train Around her lattice, rear Their snowy coronals again, And hang their garlands there. But she can bloom on earth no more Whose early doom I mourn, Nor Spring, nor Sumrner, can restore Our flower untimely shorn; Her smile is gone, which beamed on me With mild and steadfast liffht: Her rosy lips have mournfully Breathed out their last good night. 24.4 SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. She ne'er will hear again the song Of merry birds in spring, Nor roam the flowery braes among In the year's young blossoming ; Nor longer in the lingering light Of Summer's eve shall we, Lock'd hand in hand, together sit Beneath the green-wood tree. 'Tis therefore that I dread to see The glowing Summer's sun. And balmy blossoms on the tree. Unfolding one by one. They speak of things which once have been, But never more can be ; And earth, all deck'd in smiles again. Is still a waste to me. ON CARLO DOLCE's MAGDALEN. « There Seeins sorrow's softness charm'd from its despair." Byrojb Thou fairest penitent ! how pure the light That mantling o'er that pale transparent brow, Through sorrow's shade, shines tremulously bright ; And melts in rose-hues o'er thy cheek of snow. As if thy Saviour's smile of pardoning love Had o'er thy beauty a soft halo thrown; And poured those rays of glory from above. Circling thy temples like a silvery crown , Flooding with mellow light thy long, fair hair, Whose waves of shadowy gold ungathered fall. Nor longer, 'mid their wild luxuriance, v/ear '^^he flashing gem, or flowery coronal. SAHAH HELENA WHITMAN. 245 Though every line of that sweet thoughtful face Seems touched by sorrow to a softer grace, Though o'er thy cheek's young bloom a blight hath pass'd. And dimm'd its pensive beauty; — from thine eye, With the soft gloom of gathering tears o'er cast, Doth love shine forth o'er all' triumphantly ; A light which shame nor sorrow could impair, Unquench'd, undimm'd, through years of lone despair. "Yet in that humid mirror trembles still A deprecating sweetness; — a fond fear That the deep love, which found no answering tlmll In human hearts, might nought avail thee here. Poor wanderer! by the world's cold scorn opprest, 'Mid the wild wreck of happiness and fame, Love lingered still within that blighted breast As when thy lips first lisp'd a mother's name. Woe for the hearts, poor prodigal, like thine, Wasting their treasures o'er an earthly shrine — Thawfull deep treasures af the yearning heart — To win wdiat earthly love could ne'er impart; — Vainest of life's' vain dreams ! yet didst thou find That rock at last whence living waters burst. And 'neath its sheltering canopy reclined. Quenched, at that gushing fount, thy lone lieart's thirst. Oh! love — immortal love! not all in vahi The young heart wastes beneath life's weary cnain, Filled with thy bright ideal, — whose excess Of beauty mocks our utter loneliness ! — The weary bark long tossing on the shore Shall find its haven when the storm is o'er; The wandering bee its hive; — the bird its nest; — And the lone heart of love, in heaven its home of rest .' 21* 246 SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. HYMN. (WRITTEN FOR THE CONSECRATION OF SWAN POINT CEMETERY.) In the faith of him who saw The Eternal morning rise, Through the open gates of pearl,* On the hills of paradise ; — Saw the blessed company Of saints that, evermore, Wander by the wells of life, Or tread the heavenly shore : Looking to the promised land. Saw the verdant palms that wave In the calm and lustrous air, Through the shadows of the grave ; ^ hi his name, whose deathless love With a glory all divine Fill'd the garden-sepulchre, Far away in Palestine, — We would consecrate a place • Where our loved ones may repose, When the storms of life are past And the weary eyelids close. Fairer than a festal hall Bloom the chambers of their rest — Sacred to the tears that fall O'er the slumbers of the blest — Sacred to the hopes that rise Heavenward from this vale .of tears, Soaring with unwearied wing Through " the illimitable years." Revelations, xxi. 24, 25. SARAH HELENA WHITMAN. *24" Each sweet nursling of the spring Here shall weep its fresh'ning dews. Here its fragile censer swing, And all its fragrant soul diffuse. The lily, in her white symar. Fondly o'er the turf shall wave, Asphodels and violets star All "the green that folds their grave." Here the pale anemone In the April breeze shall nod, And the May-flower weave her blooms Through and through the velvet sod. Where the folding bmnches close In a verdant coronal, Through their dim and dreaming boughs Faintly shall the sun-beams fall. Memories, mournful yet how sweet! Here shall weave their mystic spell — Angels tread with silent feet Paths where love and sorrow dwell. No rude sound of earth shall break The dim quiet evermore. But the winds and waves shall chant A requiem on the lonely shore. Flitting through the slumb'rous calm, The humming-bird shall wander by. Winnowing the floral balm. From cups of wreathed ivory. The bee shall wind his fairy horn. Faintly murmuring on the ear, Sounds that seem of silence born. Soothe the soul of sadness here; — 248 CYNTHIA TAGGART. Many a low and mystic word, From the realm of shadows sent. In the busy throng unheard, Makes the silence eloquent. Words of sweetest promise spoken Only where the dirge is sung. Where the "golden bowl" is broken, And the " silver chord " unstrung. Faith shall, like an evening star. Faintly tremble through the gloom, Hope and memory shall sit Like Angels by the tomb. CYNTHIA TAGGART. The history of this sorely afflicted and deeply interesting person, ex- cites in us the most solemn sympathy, admiration and wonder. It has been narrated with touching and beautiful simplicity by the Rev. James C. Richmond, in a little book called " The Rhode-Island Cottage, or A Gift for the Children of Sorrow ;" and from this, and a short autobiography prefixed to Miss Taggart's pofems, we have obtained all our information concerning her. She is a native of Rhode-Island. Her father, William Taggart, was a revolutionary soldier, and took a very active part in the defence of his country. The property of his family was entirely de- stroyed while the British troops v^^ere on the Island, but after the war he^ purchased a farm about six miles from Newport, built a cottage on the side of a hill near the sea-shore, and there lived in quiet seclusion until his death. He was an intelligent and pious man, and cheerfully bore the heavy (Tomestic afflictions which Vv^ere allotted him. Cynthia's education was but trifling ; for even in childhood she v;as subject to debility and pain ; and could attend school only in the summer-time, from her sixth to her CYNTHIA TAGGART. 249 fiintli year. In the autobiography alluded to, she says : " My favourite amusements were invariably found, when health permitted, in viewing and admiring the varied and soul-filling works of the great Creator ; in listening to the music of the winds and waves with an ineffable and indefinable delight ; in reading books that were instructive and interest- ing ; in pursuing without interruption a pleasing train of thought ; and VI the elysian scenes of fancy. My employments were chiefly of a domestic kind, and my inclinations and habits those of activity and industry. I had never the most remote and vague apprehension that my mental capacities, even if cultivated, were competent for productive efforts ; with few exceptions, it was not till several years after the com- mencement of excruciating illness, that my thoughts and feelings, were committed to paper in the form of poetry." When she was about nine- teen years old, a complication of chronic diseases began to afflict her ; and from that time until now, a period of twenty-six years, she has been confined to a bed of agony, without one gleaming hope of ever being relieved from her intense suffering, until the angel of Death sets . her free. Her case has baffled all medical skill; sleep 'has been withheld to an almost unparalleled degree, never appearing, unless forced by the most powerful anodynes. But although in such a hopeless state, although she never loses the sense of pain, she yet sometimes forgets her misery, and finds relief and even consolation in the gift of God within her soul, — the power of exffressing. thought, feeling, and imagi- nation, in words that glow with true poetic fire. During the restless hours of midnight nearly all her fervent and pathetic strains have been composed, and were written down afterwards, by her father or her friends, at their leisure. She has, however, a more refreshing source of relief than genius. Religion is. her comforter and never-failing sup- port, strengthening her to be calm and patient, and clearing her vision to see by faith the land that is afar off—" where the inhabitant shall no more say, I am sick." Her father and mother are dead; but she still lives in The Rhode- Island Cottage, nursed by a widowed sister, and companioned by an- other sister, who, a kindred sufferer in resignation and intelligent piety, has been many years a helpless invalid. Her poems, which were first edited in 1834, are about to be re-published in New York. The editor of the Providence Literary Journal says, "They are the emanations of a mind rich in endowment, embodied in a style of language, the correct- ness and purity of which, under all these adverse circumstances, is scarcely less remarkable than the thoughts which it contains." »50 CYNTHIA TAGGART. INVOCATION TO HEALTH. Health, thy succouring aid extend While low, with bleeding heart, I bend, And on thine every means attend, And sue with streaming eyes ; But more remote thou fliest away, The humbler I thine influence pray. And expectation dies. Twice three long years of life have gone. Since thy loved presence was withdrawn, And I to grief resigned ; Laid on the couch of lingering pain, Where stern disease's torturing chain Has every limb confined. And separate from the household band. Disconsolate and lone, With no sweet converse's social charm One pam imperious to disarm, Or quell the rising moan; 1 lie in hopeless doom to grieve. While no kind office can relieve, Nor can I sustenance receive But from another's hand. While anguish veils the body o'er, And balmy sleep is known no more, And every thought that thrills the brain Gives frantic energy to pain. And the cold dewdrops copious drain Through every opening, rending pore. Health ! wilt thou not, for the black stream That bears keen poison through the veins, CYNTHIA TAGGART. 251 A cordial swift prepare ? Bring back their own bright crimson glow. And the true circulating flow, And mitigate despair ? Once more my pleadings I renew, And with my parting breath I sue, Goaded by potent pain, By all the pangs of wasting life. By gasping nature's chilling strife, To gain one lingering view Of thy fair aspect, mildly sweet, And kiss from off thine airy feet The healing drops of dew. O bathe my burning temples now, And cool the scorching of my brow, And light the rayless eye; My strength revive with thine own might And with thy footsteps firm and light, O bear me to thy radiant height. Where, soft reposing, lie Mild peace, and happiness, and joy. And Nature's sweets that never cloy. Unmixed with direful pain's alloy; Leave me not thus to die! A UT UMN. Now Autumn tints the scene With sallow hues and dim; And o'er the sky Fast hurrying, fly Dark sombre clouds, that pour From far the roaring din ; 252 CYNTHIA TAGGART. • The rattling rain and hail, With the deep sounding wail Of wild and warring melodies, begin. The wind flies -^tful through the forest trees With hollow howlings, and in wrathful mood*, As when some maniac fierce, disdaining ease, Tears with convulsive power. In horrid fury's hour. His locks dishevelled; and a chilling moan Bieathes from his tortured breast, with dread and dismal tone Thus, the impetuous blast Doth from the woodlands tear The leaves, when Summer's reign is past. And sings aloud the requiem of despair; Pours ceaseless the reverberated sigh. While past the honours of the forest fly, Kiss the low ground, and flutter, shrink, and die. ODE TO THE POPPY. Though varied wreaths of myriad hues. As beams of mingling light. Sparkle replete with pearly dews. Waving their tinted leaves profuse. To captivate the sight; Though fragrance, sweet exhaling, blend With the soft balmy air. And gentle zephyrs, Avafting v/ide Their spicy odours bear ; While to the eye, Delightingly, Each floweret laughing blooms. And o'er the fields Prolific, yields CYNTHIA TAGGART. 2b-j Its increase of perfumes ; Yet one alone o'er all the plain. With lingering eye, I view; Hasty, I pass the brightest bower, Heedless of each attractive flower, lis brilliance to pursue. No odours sweet proclaim the spot Where its soft leaves unfold ; Nor mingled hues of beauty bright Charm and allure the captive sight, With forms and tints untold. One simple hue the plant portrays Of glowing radiance rare, Fresh as the roseate morn displays, And seeming sweet and fair. But closer prest, an odorous breath Repels the rover gay ; And from her hand, with eager haste, 'T is careless thrown away ; And thoughtless that in evil hour Disease may happiness devour. And her fair form, elastic now, To misery's wand may helpless bow. Then Reason leads wan Sorrow forth To seek the lonely flower; And blest experience kindly proves Its mitigating power. Then, its bright hue the sight can trace, The brilliance of its blbom; Though misery veil the weeping eyes. Though sorrow choke the breath with sighs. And life deplore its doom. 22 254 CYNTHIA TAGGART, This magic flower • In desperate hour A balsam mild shall yield, When the sad, sinking heart Feels every aid depart. And every gate of hope for ever seal'd. Then still its potent charm Each agony disarm, And its all-healing power shall respite give. The frantic sufierer, then. Convulsed and wild with pain. Shall own the sovereign remedy, and live. The dews of slumber, now. Rest on her aching brow. And o'er the languid lids balsamic fall*, While fainting 'nature hears. With dissipated fears. The lowly accents of soft Somnus' calL Then will affection twine Around this kindly flower; And grateful memory keep How, in the arms of sleep, Affliction lost its power. ELIZABETH J. EAMES. Mrs. Eames is a native of New York, but lived till her seventeenth year in a secluded village on the banks of the Hudson. In 1836, she was married to Mr. W. S. Eames, and removed to New Hartford, where she now resides. She was a regular contributor to the New-Yorker for some years before her marriage (under the signature of Stella)] and since that period her writings have frequently appeared in Graham's Magazine, The Southern Literary Messenger, and more recently still in The Columbian. Mrs. Eames is a student, and has suffered much from ill-health. Her mind is of a serious, generally of a pensive mood ; yet not despond- ing or downcast — " gazing upon the ground with thoughts that dare not glow." Her strains exhibit much chastened fervour, an uplifting of the soul to a lofty purpose, and a steadfast desire to attain it, even though it be through pain. A volume of her poetry, which has never yet been collected, will shortly appear, and meet, we doubt not, the kind welcom.e it deserves. "there shall be light.*' Onv/ard and upward, O my soul' Let thy endeavour be — Though dark the cloud-mist 'hove thee roll, Light shall be given to thee ; Though stormiest waves and billows rock Thy human bark at will, Thou shalt have strength to bear the shock — Be Hope thy anchor still. Alas! thou shrinkest with lonely fear, Thou tremblest with the cold, Thy inner life shows pale and drear, And languidly unfold (255) ^56 ELIZABETH J. EAMES. The feeble wings that fain would find The source of mental day ; Still unrevealed the path — and blind Doth the immortal stray! Oh, pining soul ! my heart is faint — My hand grows timorous, weak; Why, wTiy that half-reproachful plaint r And wherefore dost thou speak So mournful, and despondingly. Imploring my poor aid ? What can I do, dear soul, for thee. Ere I am lowlier laid ? Seest thou my cheek is thin and pale^ Mine eyes with vigils dim ? Daily my strength and courage fail. And through each faltering limb" Quivers the arrow of disease ; Still, for the wasting clay, Cometh no hours of calm and ease To soften its decay! Oh! not in such imperfect state Can thy full wakening be; Yet, yet my soul in patience wait — The morn must break for thee. Not vainly dost thou thirst for more Than this poor world can give — Where gleam the waves of yon bright shore, There shalt thou drink and live. Freed from those bonds of mortal flesh, Thou shalt go forth, my soiil. Rejoicing in a nobler birth. With powers beyond control. ELIZABETH J. EAMES. 257 Then onward ! 'tis not always night, Though clouds dim now thy way : Oh ! soul of mine ! there will be light To show the perfect day ! DIEM PERDIDI. "When the Emperor Titus remembered at night that he had doPLe nothing beneficial during the day, he used to exclaim — ' I have lost a day!'"^ O GREATLY wise ! tliou of the crown and rod, Robed in the purple majesty of kings — Power was thine own, where'er thy footsteps trod, Yet didst thou mourn if Time on idle wings Went by for thee ! Deep sunk in thought wert thou — And sadness rested on thy noble brow, If, when the dying day closed o'er thy head, Thou hadst no knowledge gain'd — no good conferr'd : " Diem Perdidi" was the thought that stirr'd Thy conscious soul, when night her curtain spread. Oh Emperor, greatly wise! could- we so deal With misspent hours, and win thy faith sublime, We should not be ('mid the soul's mute appeal) Such triflers with the solemn trust of Time ! CHARITY. All stainless in the holy white Of her broad mantle — lo! the maiden cometli. Lip, cheek and brow serenely bright With that calm look of deep delight. Beautiful, — on the mountain top she roameth. " The soft gray of the brooding dove" With melting radiance in her eye she weareth ; 22* R •258 ELIZABETH J. EAMES. Her heart is full of trust and love ; For an angel mission from above, In tranquil beauty, o'er the earth she beareth. The music of Humanity Flows from her tuneful lips in sweetest numbers : Of all life's pleasant ministries — Of universal harmonies — She sings : no care her mind encumbers. Glad tidings doth she ever sound ; Good will to man throughout the world is sending; Blessings and gifts she scatters round ; Peace to her name, with whom is found The olive branch, in holy beauty bending. LINE S. "Or nmking many books there is no end ; and much study is a wean r.ess of the flesh." — Solomon. " Of making many books there is no end," Said the wise monarch of. the olden time ; Yet. through all ages, and in every clime Doth the pale seeker o'er his studies bend The intellectual Numen to obey. Eager and anxious still. Still doth he toil (Making the night familiar as the day,) To find the clew to loose the ravelPd coil — To pierce the depth of things that hidden lie The oil of life consumeth! this he knoweth-— Yet Math a feverish brow and streaming eye, He seeks to find ; — and patiently bestoweth His midnight labourings in Wisdom's mine. To win for Earth the gems that midst its darkness si line ELIZABETH J . F. A M E S . 259 ^' Much stud}^ is a weariness." The sage Who gave his mind, to seek and search until lie knew all Wisdom, found that on the page Knowledge and grief were vow'd companions still : And so the students of a later day- Sit down among the records of old time To hold high commune with the thoughts sublime Of minds long gone ; so they too pass away, And leave us what ? their course, to toil — reflect — To feel the thorn pierce through our gathered flowers — Still midst the leaves the earth-worm to detect. And this is Knowledge ; — Wisdom is not ours. Oh ! well the Preacher bids nis son admonish'd be. That all the days of man's short life are Vanity ! ON THE PICTURE OF A DEPARTED POETESS This still, clear, radiant face ! doth it resemble In each fair, faultless lineament thine own ? Methinks on that enchanting lip doth tremble The soul that breathes thy lyre's melodious tone. The soul of music, O ! ethereal spirit. Fills the dream-haunted sadness of thine eyes ; Sweet Poetess ! thou surely didst inherit Thy gifts celestial from the upper skies. Clear on the expansion of that snow-white forehead Sits intellectual beauty, meekly throned ; — Yet, O ! the expression tells that thou hast sorrow'd, And in thy yearning, human heart atoned For thy soul's lofty gifts! — on earth, O, never Was the deep thirsting of thy bosom still'd ! — - The " aching void" followed thee here forever. The Better Land thy Dream of Love fulfilled. ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. The rural and beautiful village of Cumberland, about twelve milea from Portland, Maine, is the birthplace of Elizabeth Smith. Her family name was Prince. Precocity indeed is not always a sign of genius, — for sometimes those minds v/hich are ripe the soonest, the soonest de- cay, — yet the little Elizabeth (like many of her sister-poetesses) was a most precocious child. She used to improvise as soon as she could talk, Dut finding that people stared ax her, and that some checked her, she grew nervous at three or four, and repeated her rhymes only in secret. She began to write from the time she could imitate printed letters, and continued for a long time to write in this way. Possessing acute sensibilities, a quiet thoughtfulness, a loving disposition, and a marked dislike of pretension, the attributes of a true poet might have been discerned in her at a very early age; and perhaps were, by that father and grandfather at whose feet she loved to sit, hearing and ask- ing them questions, when other children were out at play. As she grew up she devoted herself to study ; choosing philosophy both natural and moral, and abstruse subjects which required much close and steady thought, on which to feed her love for knowledge. But liberal nature gave her a very strong mind, capable of bearing intense application, and as capacious as it was strong, fit apartment for the wealthy stores that native thought and foreign learning brought in. She was married at sixteen to Seba Smith, Esq., of Portland, well-known as the author of the humorous Jack Downing Letters. Since her marriage Mrs. Smith has been a constant contributor to the magazines of the day. When she first wrote, she did so merely from the impulse within ; afterwards, ne- cessity lorded it over her genius; and often, when her social and wo« manly nature would have been content with the pleasures of friendly intercourse, this stern ma.ster, she dared not disobey, has driven her to her pen, to coin her thoughts of purest gold, for gold " of a baser sort." About eight years ago she left Portland to reside in New York ; lately she has removed to Brooklyn. In.l842, Mrs. Smith published " The Sinless Child, and other Foems,''^ ( 280 ) ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 261 a little volume which has heen much praised by able critics, and widelj circulated. The Acorn, one of her most imaginative and faultless pro- ductions, is contained in this book, We give the whole of it: for though the growing oak spreads out far and wide, we could not find it in our hearts to cut off a single bough. Within a short time, she has com- pleted a tragedy, called The Roman Tribute, which is to be acted in the coming autumn ; and a prose romance, now in the press. Many of her smaller poems indicate genius of a high order ; they vary in their style of thought and expression, however, very considerably. Some- times, as in The April Rain, there is a fresh simplicity in them, as if a little child were singing out her pure and happy feelings in musical rhyme ; and then again, as in the two sonnets we have quoted, there is a sublimity, a deep, solemn calmness of thought, as if breathed from the heart of one made patient by experience, and wise by inward suffer- ing. Some of Mrs. Smith's best poems and essays have been published u.ider the name o? Ernest Helfenstein. We have often wondered who this quaint, but deep-souled, mellow^-voiced writer was ; our delight and surprise were equal, on finding, not long ago, that the original and instructive articles we had read from the pen of the poet-philosopher, Ernest Helfenstein, sprang from the fertile mind of the philosophical poetess, Elizabeth Oakes Smith. THE AC ORN. An acorn fell from an old oak tree, And lay on the frosty ground — " O, what shall the fate of the acorn be !" Was whispered all around, By low-toned voices, chiming sweet, Like a floweret's bell when swung — And grasshopper steeds were gathering fleet, And the beetle's hoofs up-rung — For the woodland Fays came sweeping past In the pale autumnal ray. Where the forest leaves were falling fast, And the acorn quivering lay ; 262 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. They came to tell what its fate should be, Though life was unreveaPd ; For life is holy mystery, Where'er it is conceaPd. They came with gifts that should life bestow; The dew and the living air — The bane that should work its deadly wo — Was found with the Fairies there. In the gray moss-cup was the mildew brought^ And the worm in the rose-leaf rolPd, And many things with destruction fraught, That its fate were quickly told. But it heeded not; for a blessed fate Was the acorn's doom'd to be — The spirits of earth should its birth-time wait, And watch o'er its destiny. To a little sprite was the task assigned To bury the acorn deep, Away from the frost and searching wind. When they through the forest sweep. 1 laughed outright at the small thing's toil. As he bow'd beneath the spade. And he balanced his gossamer wings the while To look in the pit he made. A thimble's depth it was scarcely deep. When the spade aside he threw, And roll'd the acorn away to sleep In the hush of dropping dew. The spring-time came with its fresh, warm air, And its gush of woodland song ; The dew came down, and the rain was there. And the sunshine rested long; ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 263 Then softly the black earth turnM aside, The old leaf arching o'er, And up, where the last year's leaf was dried, Came the acorn-shell mice more. With coil'd stem, and a pale green hue It look'd but a feeble thing; Then deeply its roots abroad it threw, Its strength from the earth to bring. The woodland sprites are gathering round, Rejoiced that the task is done — That another ^fe from the noisome ground Is up to the pleasant sun. The young child pass'd with a careless tread, And the germ had well nigh crush'd, But a spider, launch'd on her airy thread, ♦ The cheek of the stripling brush'd. He little knew, as he started back. How the acorn's fate v/as hung On the very point in the spider's track Where the web on his cheek was flung. The autumn came, and it stood alone. And bow'd as the wind pass'd by — The wind that utter'd its dirge-like moan In the old oak sere and dry; And the hollow branches creak'd and sway'd But they bent not to trie blast, For the stout oak tree, where centuries playM Was sturdy to the last. A schoolboy beheld the lithe young shoot, And his knife was instant out. To sever the stalk from the spreading root, And scatter the buds about; 264 ELIZABETH A K E S SMITH. To peel the bark in curious rings, And many a notch and ray. To beat the air till it whizzing sings, Then idly castaway. Ris hand was stay'd ; he knew not why : 'Twas a presence breathed around — A pleading from the deep-blue sky. And up from the teeming ground. It told of the care that had lavish'd been In sunshine and in dew — Of the many things that had wrought a screen When peril around it grew. It told of the oak that once had bow'd, As feeble a thing to see ; ^ But now, when the storm Vv^as raging loud, It wrestled mightily. There's a deeper thought on the schoolboy's brow, A new love at his heart. And he ponders much, as with footsteps slo4v He turns him to depart. Up grew the twig, with a vigour bold. In the shade of the parent tree, And the old oak knev/ that his doom was told. When the sapling sprang so free. Then the fierce winds came, and they raging tore The hollow limts away ; And the damp moss crept from the earthy floor Round the trunk, time-worn and gray. The young oak grew, and proudly grev/. For its roots were deep and strong; And a shadow broad on the earth it threw, And the sunlight lingered long ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 265 On its glossy leaf, where the flickering light Was flung to the evening sky; And the wild bird came to its airy height. And taught her young to fly. In acorn-time came the truant boy, With a wild and eager look, And he mark'd the tree with a wondering joy, As the wind the great limbs shook. He look'd where the moss on the north side gre vv, Tlie gnarled arms outspread, The solemn shadow the huge tree threw, As it tower'd above his head : And vague-like fears the boy surround. In the shadow of that tree,; So growing up from the darksome ground, Like a giant mystery. His heart beats quick to the squirrePs tread On the withered leaf and dry, And he lifts not up his awe-struck head As the eddying wind sweeps by. And regally the stout oak stood. In its vigour and its pride ; A monarch own'd in the solemn wood, With a sceptre spreading wide — No more in the v^intry blast to bow, Or rock in the summer breeze; But draped in, green, or star-like snow, Reign king of the forest trees. And a thousand years it fiwnly grew, And a thousand blasts defied ; And, mighty in strength, its broad arms threw A shadow dense and wide, 23 266 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. It grew where the rocks were bursting out From the thin and heaving soil — Where the ocean's roar, and the sailor's shout, Were mingled in wild turmoil. Where the far-off sound of the restless deep Came up with a booming swell; And the white foam dash'd to the rocky steep, But it loved the tumult well. Then its huge limbs creak'd in the midnight air« And joined in the rude uproar: For it loved the storm and the lightning's glare. And the sound of the breaker's roar. The bleaching bones of the sea-bird's prey Were heap'd on the rocks below; And the bald-head eagle, fierce and gray, Look'd off from its topmost bough. Where its shadow lay on the quiet wave The light boat often swung. And the stout ship, saved from the ocean-grave, Her cable round it ilunar. Change came to the mighty things of earth — ■ Old empires pass'd av/ay; Of the generations that had birth, O Death ! where, where were they } Yet fresh and green the brave oak stood, Nor dreamed it of decay. Though a thousand times in the ffutumn wood Its leaves on the pale earth lay. A sound comes down' in the forest trees, An echoing from the hill; It floats far off on the summer breeze, Ami the shore resounds it shrill. ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. ^61 Lo ! the monarch tree no more' shall stand Like a watch-tower of the main — The strokes fall thick, from the woodman's hand. And its falling shakes the plain. The stout old oak! — 'Twas a worthy tree, And the builder marked it out ; And he smiled its angled limbs to see, As he measured the trunk about. Already to him was a gallant bark Careering the rolling deep, And in sunshine, calm, or tempest dark, Her way she will proudly keep. The chisel clinks, and the hammer rings, And the merry jest goes round ; While he who longest and loudest sings Is the stoutest workman found. With jointed rib, and trunnePd plank The work goes gaily on, And light-spoke oaths, when the glass they drank. Are heard till the task is done. She sits on the stocks, the skeleton ship. With her oaken ribs all bare. And the child looks up with parted lip. As it gathers fuel there — With brimless hat, the bare-foot boy Looks round with strange amaze, And dreams of a sailor's life of joy Are minglmg in that gaze. With graceful waist and carvings brave The trim hull waits the see. — And she proudly stoops to the crested wave, While round go the cheerings three. J68 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. Her prow swells up from the yeasty deep, Where it plunged in foam and spray; And the glad waves gathering round her sweep And buoy her in their play. Thou wert nobly rear'd, O heart of oak! In the sound of the ocean roar, Where the surging wave o'er the rough rock broke And hello w'd along the shore — And how wilt thou in the storm rejoice, With the wind through spar and shroud. To hear a sound like the forest voice. When the blast was raging loud! With snow-white sail, and streamer gay, She sits like an ocean-sprite. Careering on in her trackless way, hi sunshine or dark midnight: Her course is laid with fearless skilly For brave hearts man the helm ; And the joyous winds her canvass fill — Shall the wave the stout ship whelm ? On, on she goes, where icebergs roll, Like floating cities by; Where meteors flash by the northern pole. And the ftierry dancers fly ; Where the glittering light is backward flung From icy tower and dome, And the frozen shrouds are gayly hung With gems from the ocean foam. On the Indian sea was her shadow cast, As it lay lilve molten gold. And her pendant shroud and towering mast Seem'd twice on the waters told. ELIZABETH OAEES SMITH, 269 The idle canvass slowly swung As the spicy breeze went by, And strange, rare music around her rung From the palm-tree growing nigh. O, gallant ship, thou didst bear witli thee The gay and the breaking heart, And weeping eyes look'd out to see Thy white-spread sails depart. And when the rattling casement told Of many a perilPd ship. The anxious wife her babes would fold. And pray with trembling lip. The petrel wheePd in her stormy flight, The wind piped shrill and high; On the topmast sat a pale blue light. That flicker'd not to the eye : « The black cloud came like a banner down, And down came the shrieking blast; The quivering ship on her beams is thrown, And gone are helm and mast. Helmless, but on before the gale, She ploughs the deep-trough'd wave : A gurgling sound — a phrenzied wail — And the ship hath found a grave. And thus is the fate of the acorn told, That fell from the old oak tree, And the woodland Fays in the frosty mould Preserved for its destiny. CHARITY, IN DESPAIR OF JUSTICE. Out-wearied with the littleness and spite. The falsehood and the treachery of men, I cried, give me but justice, thinking then I meekly craved a common boon which might 23* 2 70 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. Most easily be granted; soon the light Of deeper truth grew on my wondering ken, (Escaped baneful damps of stagnant fen,) And then I saw, that in my pride bedight I claim'd from erring man the gift of Heaven — God's own great vested right; and I grew calm, With folded hands like stone to patience given, And pityings of pure love-distilling balm ; — And now I wait in quiet trust to be All known to God, — and ask of men, sweet Charity. THE GREAT AIM. Earth beareth many pangs of guilt and wrong; Hunger, and chains, and nakedness, all cry From out the ground t© Him, whose searching eye Sees blo(jd like slinking serpents steal along The dusty w^ay, rank grass, and flowers among. His the dread voice — " Where is thy brother ?" Why Sit we here weaving our common griefs to song. While that eternal call, forth bids us fly From self, and wake to human good .'' The near. The humble, it may be, yet — God-appointed! If greatly girded, cast aside thy fear In solemn trust, thou mission'd and anointed ! Oh ! glorious task ! made free from petty strife. Thy Truth becomes an Act, — thy Aspiration — I-ife. .' A N G E L S . With downy pinion they enfold The heart surcharged with woe, And fan with balmy wing the eye, Whence floods of sorrow flow ; They bear in golden censers up That sacred gift, a tear, ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 271 By which is register'd the griefs Hearts may have sufFer'd here. No inward pang, no yearning love Is lost to human hearts; No anguish that the spirit feels When bright-wing'd hope departs: Though in the mystery of life Discordant powders prevail, That life itself be weariness, And sympathy may fail ; Yet all becomes a discipline To lure us to the sky ; And angels bear the good it brings With fostering care on high. Though others, weary at the watch^ May sink to toil-spent sleep, • And we are left in solitude And agony to weep — Yet THEY with ministering zeal The cup of healing bring, And bear our love and gratitude Away on heavenly wing. And thus the inner life is wrought. The blending earth and heaven — ■ The love more earnest in its glow, Where much has been forgiven. UNPROFITABLE SERVANTS, Vain we number every duty, Number all our prayers and tears, Still the spirit lacketh beauty. Still it droops wdth many fears. 272 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. Soul of Love, O boundless Giver, Who didst all thyself impart. And thy blood, a flowing river, Told how large the loving heart; Now we see how . poor the offering We have on thine altar cast. And we bless thee for the suffering Which hath taught us love at last. We may feel an inward gladness For the truth and goodness won. But far deeper is the sadness For the good we leave undone. S T ANZ A S. O God! that we should live, the dull pulse beat. When all that should be life is cold and sere! When thought, which angel-like is high and fleet, Is crush'd to earth, what doth the spirit here! And yet, and yet I would not feebly shrink From this dread cup of suffering, — let me drink. For in this darkest hour there cometh yet A soothing ministry, unseen but felt; An inward prompting — Thou wilt not forget! And tears gush forth, — the eyes that would not melt, Train'd in the school of grief, at thought of Thee Pour forth their pent-up fountains, fast and free. « Life-Giver! who hast planted in the soul This seed-time dread of hopes too high for earth, Emotions, yearnings, time may not control, In heaven alone. Oh ! hath the harvest birth ? Oh wherefore doth the heart, deluded still. Its broken urn from earth's dark fountains fill ^ ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 273 Not at the gory wheel, the jSery stake; Not where the rack gives forth the lingermg breath — Not there alone do martyr'd spirits break, Not there alone dost thou find such, O Death I Another test; crush'd by a hidden weight. There are v/ho martyrs live to their dark fate. STRENGTH FROM THE HILLS. Come up unto the hills! Thy strength is there; Oh! thou hast tarried long. Too long amid the bowers and blossoms fair, With notes of summer song ! Why dost thou tarry here } What though the bird Pipes matin in the vale — The plough-boy whistles to the loitering herd As the red daylights fail? Yet come unto the hills — the old strong hills, And leave the stagnant plain; Come to the gushing of the new-born rills, As sing they to the main. And thou shalt dwell with denizens of light; — The eagle shall be there, With tireless wing aslant the cloud of night, Amid the lightning's glare. Come up unto the hills! The shatter'd oak There clings unto the rock, With arms outstretch'd as 'tw^ould the storm fnvoke, And dare again the shock. Come where no fear is known, the sea-bird's nest On the old hemlock swings. There thou shalt feel the gladness of unrest, And 'mount upon thy wings. • ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. Come up unto the hills ! The men of old, They of undaunted will, Grew jubilant of heart, and strong and bold* On the enduring hill, — Where come the soundings of the sea afar Borne inward to the ear, And nearer grow the moon, and midnight star, And God himself more near! NIGHT. *=* Some who had early mandates to depart, Yet are allowed to steal my path athwart." — Wordsworth. Thrice welcome, solemn, thoughtful Night, With the cool and shadowy wing; For visions, beautiful and bright, Thou dost to fancy bring — And then the mental eye I turn. Thy kingdom, soifl, to view, For higher progress eager burn. And onward strength renew. I love thy dim, majestic car, With no moon lighting by, When still and hush'd is each pale star. And the heavens look deep and high — And o'er me seem thy wings to brood With a protecting love. And I nestle in thy solitude. Like a stricken, wearied dove. I bless thee for each hallow'd thought, Which thou, oh! Night, dost bring — Thy quiet, with high teachings fraught, While round me seems to ring f:lizabeth oakes smith 276 The music of the better land, And gentle watch to keep, The presence of a guardian band Is round me while I sleep. And soothingly, oh ! Night, dost thou Departed ones restore — I see each fair and peaceful brow With their loving looks once more, Alas, the loved and gentle ones, They pass from earth away, And pleasantly we hear their tones. When the midnight shadows play. We feel their holy presence near, Their gentle pressure feel. Their words of whisper'd comfort hear, And angel-like appeal; And every struggle for the right They smilingly approve. And arm us doubly for the fight, ■ With spirit-faith and love. Oh! holy Night, thou bring'st to me Bright visions of the past. And pleasant dreams are born of thee. And from thy pinions cast. No fancies dark, no terrors wild Come hovering round my bed. But peaceful as a wearied child I rest my aching head. 276 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. THE RECALL, OR SOUL MELODY. "Nor dulcimer nor harp shall breathe Their melody for me; Within my secret soul be wrought A holier minstrelsy ! Descend into thy depths, oh soul And every sense in me control. Thou hast no voice for outward mirth, Whose purer strains arise From those that steal from crystal gates. The hymnings of the skies; And well may earth's cold jarrings cease, When such have soothed thee unto peace. Within thy secret chamber rest. And back each sense recall. That seeketh 'mid the tranquil stars Where melody shall fall; Call home the wanderer from the vale, From mountain and the moonlight pale. Within the leafy wood, the sound Of dropping rain may ring, Which, rolling from the trembling lealj Falls on the sparrow's wing; And music round the waking flower May breathe in every star-lit bower: Yet, come away! nor stay to hear The breathings of a voice Whose subtle tones awake a thrill To make thee to rejoice. And vibrate on the listening ear, Too deep, too earnest, ah, too dear. 34 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 271 Yes, come away, and inward turn Each thought and every sense, For sorrow lingers from without, Thou canst not charm it thence; But all attuned the soul may be, Unto a deathless melody. THE APRIL RAIN. The April rain! the April rain! I hear the pleasant sound. Now soft and still, like gentle dew, Now drenching all the ground. Pray tell me v/hy an April shower Is pleasanter to see Than falling drops of other rain ? I'm sure it is to me. I wonder if 'tis really so, Or only Hope, the while. That tells of swelling buds and flowers, And Summer's coming smile : Whate'er it is, the April shower Makes me a child again; I feel a rush -of youthful blood, As falls the April rain. And sure, were I a little bulb. Within the darksome ground, I should love to hear the April rain So softly falling round; Or any tiny flower were I, By Nature swaddled up. How pleasantly the April shower Would bathe my hidden cup! 278 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. The small brown seed that rattled down On the cold autumnal earth, Is bursting from its cerements forth, Rejoicing in its birth; The slender spears of pale green grass Are smiling in the light; The clover opes its folded leaves, As though it felt delight. The robin sings on the leafless tree, And upward turns- his eye. As if he loved to see the drops Come filtering down the sky; No doubt he longs the bright green Jeaves About his home to see. And feel the swaying summer winds Play in the full-robed tree. , The cottage door is open wide, And cheerful sounds are heard; The young girl sings at the merry wheel A song like the wildwood bird ; The creeping child by the old worn sill Peers out with winking eye. And his ringlets parts with his chubby hand. As the drops come spattering by. With bounding heart beneath the sky The truant boy is out. And hoop and ball are darting by. With many a merry shout; Ay, shout away, ye joyous throng! For yours is the April day; I love to see your spirits dance. In your pure and healthful ])lay. ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. 279 LOVE DE AD. The lady sent him an image of Cupid, one wing veilir.g his face. Ha was pleased ':hereat, thinking it to be Love sleeping, and betokened the tenderness of the sentiment. He looked again and saw it was Love dead and laid upon his bier. This morn with trembling I awoke, Just as the dawn my slmnber broke: Flapping came a heavy wing, sounding pinions o'er my head, Beating down the blessed air with a weight of chilling dread — Felt I then the presence of a doom That an Evil occupied the room — - And I dared not round the bower, Chilly in the grayish morning. Dared not face the evil power. With its voice of inward warning. Vain with weakness we may palter — Vainly may the fond heart falter. Came there upon my soul, dropping down like leaden weight, sBurning pang or freezing pang, which I know not 'twas so great; Life hath its moments black unnumbered, I knew not if mine eyes had slumbered, Yet I little thought such pain Ever to have known again — Love dies, too, when Faith is dead, Yesternight Faith perished. I knew that Love could never change — That Love should die seems yet more strange — Lifting up the downy veil, screening Love within my heart, Beating there as beat my pulse, moving like myself a part — I had kept him cherished there so deep. Heart-rocked kept him in his balmy sleep, 280 ELIZABETH OAKES SMITH. That till now I never knew How his fibres round me grew — Could not know how deep the sorrow Where Hope bringeth no to-mon'ow. I struggled, knowing we must part, I grieved to lift him from my heart, jrrieving much and struggling much, forth I brought hira sorrowing — Drooping hung his fainting head ^- all adown his dainty wing, Shrieked I with a wild and dark surprise — For I saw the marble in Love's eyes — Yet I hoped his soul would wait As he oft had waited there — Hovering though at Heaven's gate- — Could he leave me to despair! Unfolded they the crystal door. Where Love shall languish never more — Weeping Love thy days are o'er. Lo ! I lay thee on thy bier Wiping thus from thy dead cheek every vestige of a tear ! Love has perished — hist, hist how they tell, Beating pulse of mine, his funeral knell! Love is dead, ay dead and gone, Why should I be living on; — Why be in this chamber sitting. With but phantoms round me flitting! MARY E. BEOOKS, Formerly Mary Elizabeth Aikin, was born at Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, and educated at Troy, under the care of l\frs. Wil- lard. When quite young-, she wrote for the New York periodicals, ander the signature of Noma. In 1829, her longest poem — The Rivals ofD^Este — was published, with several others, in a volume con- taining the poetical effusions of her husband, the late James G. Brooks. She possesses many elegant accomplishments, and a thorough acquaint- ance with the modern languages. Her poetical talent is seldom called into exercise now; but the verses she has written display a lively fancy and refined taste. The " Hebrew melodies" in the volume above named, are sweet and expressive, and gracefully executed. OH 9 WEEP NOT FOR THE DEAD. JEK EMIAII, XXii. 10. Oh, weep not for the dead ! Rather, oh rather give the tear To those that darkly linger here. When all besides are fled ; Weep for the spirit withering In its cold cheerless sorrowing. Weep for the young and lovely one That ruin darkly revels on ; But never be a tear-drop shed For them, the^ure enfranchised dead. Oh, weep not for the dead . No more for them the blighting chill. The thousand shades of earthly ill. The thousand thorns we tread ; Weep for the life-charm early flown. The spirit broken, bleeding, lone ; 24* (2S1) 282 MARY E. BROOKS. Weep for the death pangs of the heart, Ere' being from the bosom part; But never be a tear-drop given, To those that rest in yon bhie heaven. « THE LAMENT OP J U D A H . JEREMIAH, iv. 30. In vain the crimson garment now. It wraps a feeble limb ; In vain the jewel decks the brow, The eye beneath is dim : For days gone by, for days to come. In weary thoughts of blasted home, Does Judah's heart, and Judah's eye. Darken amid your revelry. Ye have your homes, your hearths ; your sires Sleep 'neath the garden tree; Where are our hearths, our altar fires, And what, oh what are we ? 'Tis our's to pour the tear-drop fast. Above the bright and buried past; For this does Judah's heart and eye Turn sickening from your revelry! THE SONG OF CAPTIVE ISRAEL PSALM ©xxxvii. Come, sweep the harp! one thrilling rush Of all that warm'd its chords to song. And then the strains for ever hush That oft have breathed its wires along ! The lay is quench'd that lit our mirth, The shrine is gone that claim'd the prayer; M A R Y E . BROOKS. ' 283 And exiles o'ei tlie distant earth, How can we wake the carol there. One sigh, my harp ! and then to sleep, For all that loved thy song have flown; Why should'st thou lonely vigils keep. Forsaken, broken, and alone? Let this sad miirnmr be thy last, Nor e'er again in music swell; Thine hours of joyousness are past, And thus we sever: fare thee well! DREAM OF LIFE. I HEARD the music of the wave, As it rippled to the shore ; And saw the willow branches lave, As light winds swept them o'er; The music of the golden bow,' That did the torrent span; But* I heard a sweeter music flow From the youthful heart of man, The wave rushed on ; the hues of heaven Fainter and fainter grew ; And deeper melodies were given As swift the changes flew : Then came a shadow on my sight, The golden bow was dim : And he that laugh'd beneath its light, What was the change to him ? I saw him not; only a throng Like the sv/ell of troubled ocean, Rising, sinking, swept along In the tempest's wild commotion : 284 M A R Y E . B R O O K S . Sleeping, dreaming, waking then. Chains to link or sever ; Turning to the dream again, Fain to clasp it ever. There was a rush upon my brain, A 'darkness on mine eye; And when I turn'd to gaze again The mingled forms were nigh; In shadowy mass a mighty hall Rose on the fitful scene ; Flowers, music, gems were flung o'er all. Not such as once had been. Then in its mist, far, far away, A phantom seemed to be ; The something of a gone-by day, But oh, hov/ changed was he ! He rose beside the festal board, Where sat the merry throng; And as the purple juice he pour'd Thus woke his wassail song — * SONG. Come, while with v/ine the goblets flow. For wine they say has power to bless j And flowers too — not roses, no ! Bring poppies, bring forgetfulness ! A Lethe for departed bliss. And each too well remember'd scene;' Earth has no sweeter draught than this, Which drowns the thought of what has been. Here's to the heart's cold iciness, Which cannot smile, but will not sigh 5 I. UCRETIA AND MARGARET DAVIDSON. 285 If wine can bring a chill like this, Come, fill for me the goblet high. Come, and the cold, the false, the dead, Shall never cross our revelry ; We '11 kiss the wine-cup sparkling red. And snap the chain of memory. LUCRETIA AND MARGARET DAVIDSON. It would be wrong, merely for the sake of chronological order, to separate these sweet sisters, who, though not twins by birth, were twins in thought, feeling, loveliness, and purity. We will sketch them to- gether, therefore, while their devoted mother and excellent father shall stand at their head. Mrs. Davidson was a daughter of Dr. Burnet Miller, a respectable phy- sician in the city of New York, where she was born on the 27th of June, 1787. Her mother was early left a widow, and removed to Dutchess County, where, at the age of sixteen, this daughter was married to Dr. Davidson. The greater part of her married life was spent at Plattsburg, (on Lake Champlain,) where all her children were born, ten in number — eight of whom passed before her into heaven. She resided in Plattsburg at the time of the battle, August, 1814. The fearful events of that season, and her ov/n escapes and adventures, have been narrated by both Mrs. Davidson and Margaret, in a fictitious garb. She never could speak of them without great excitement ; and invar-ably wept at tiie sound of martial music. An intimate friend writing of her, says — 286 LUCRETIA AKD MARGARET DAVIDSON. " Mrs. Davidson's appearance and manner when talking entiiusiastical- ly, as she always did on a favourite subject, coald never be forgotten. The traces of early beauty were still evident in her large dark eyes and her exquisite complexion ; but the great charm of her countenance waa in its mingted expression of intelligence and sensibility, varying not un- frequently from deep sadness to a playful vivacity of which you would not at first suppose her capable." She possessed great elasticity of spirit and vigour of mind, which were not at all impaired by the constant pain and suftering she endured. During" the last few years of her life, she resided alternately at New York, Ballston, and Saratoga Springs. At the latter place she died, on the 27th of June, 1844. She had long been thought a victim to consumption, but the fearful and agonizing disease which terminated her life was a cancer in the face. A year before her death, a volume, entitled Selections from the Writings of Mrs. Marga- ret M. Davidson, was published, with a short preface from her distin- guished friend, Miss Sedgwick. Her poems, however, although they display that tenderness of feeling and romantic disposition which charac- terized her so strongly, are too inferior to her daughter's to be quoted with any advantage. Dr. Davidson was a man of extensive reading, and possessed a taste for natural science. His moral character, however, more than his intellectual, renders him worthy of notice. " He was one of the most guileless and pure-minded men I ever knew," writes the friend we have before quoted. " He was entirely unpretending in his manners, and always exhibited a degree of affectionate devotedness to his wife, un- usual and touching; His piety was simple, confiding, and unobtrusive ; and his conduct in every situation unreproachable." He died about a year ago. Such were the parents of the inspired poet-children, Lucretia and Margaret Davidson. Lucretia Maria was born on the 27th of September, 1803, and was distinguished almost from her birth by an extraordinary development of the imaginative and sensitive faculties. When she was four years old she went to the Plattsburg Academy, and was taught to read, and form letters in sand, after the Lancasterian method. She began to turn her infant thoughts into measured strains before she had learned to write ; and devoting herself with tireless attention to her studies both at home and at school, she soon attained a v/onderful amount of knowledge. It was only in her intellectual character that she was thus premature ; J^UCRETIA AND MARGARET DAVIDSON. 281 in her innocence, simplicity, playfulness, and modesty, she was a perfecl child. Her conscientiousness and dutifulness were remarkably promi- nent ; as they were also with Margaret. Her health, always very feeble, began to decline in 1823, when she was taken from school, and accompanied her mother on a. visit to some relatives in Canada. While there she finished Amir Khan, her longest poem, and began a prose tale, called The Recluse of the Saranac. It was about this time that the Hon. Moss Kent, an early friend of her mother, became acquainted with Lu- cre tia, and so deeply interested in her genius, that he resolved, if he could persuade her parents to resign her to his care, to afford her every advantage for improvement that the country could afford. At his sug- gestion, in November, 1824, she was placed under the care of Mrs. Wil- lard ; in whose seminary at Troy she remained during the winter. The following spring, she ivas transferred to a boarding school at Albany ; but while there her health gave way, and she v/as obliged to return home to Plattsburg. The strength of affection, and the skill of physi- cians, failed, however, to restore her. The hand of Death alone gave her ease ; and she gently fell asleep one morning in August 1825 ; ex- actly one month before her seventeenth birthday. President Morse, of the American Society of Arts, first published her biography ; and soon after, a delightful memoir from the able pen of Miss Sedgwick spread the name of Lucretia Davidson far and wide. ■ Margaret Miller was born on the 26th of March, 1823. She was therefore but two years and a half old when Lucretia died ; an event which made a deep impression on her. Although so young, she seemed not only to feel her loss, but to understand and apprecTate her sister's character and talents ; and from the first dawning of intellect gave evidence that she possessed the same. " By the time she was six years old," says her mother, " her language assumed an elevated tone ; and her mind seemed filled with poetic imagery, blended with veins of religious thought." The sacred writings were her daily study. Devo- tional feelings seemed interwoven with hei- very existence, A longing after heaven, that her spirit might be free from the thraldom of earth, 'vas as natural to her, as a longing for a holiday to be let loose from school is to other children Yet she enjoyed most fully the quiet plea- sures that surrounded her, and her heart was always swelling with love and gratitude. Sometimes, too, the consciousness of genius, — the inward assurance that she was a poet, — would make her think on v/hat might be, were she to live ; but the restless thoughts of 288 1. UCllETIA AND MARGARET DAVIDSON. fame were soon lost again, in happier, calmer hopes of an abiding heaven. Dear child ! she little knew that so soon both were to be hers — "an honoured name" on earth, and " a glorious crown" in heaven. Like all true poets, she had a keen relish for the beauties of nature, and fed upon them from her infancy. Her earliest home v/as upon the banks of the Saranac, commanding a fine view of Lake Champlain, and surrounded by the most romantic and picturesque scenery ; but wherever she re- sided, she found something to admire and love, upon the earth or in the sky. Margaret was always instructed by her mother, whose poetical tastes and affectionate disposition made her capable of appreciating and sympathizing with the warm impulses and aspiring thoughts of her sweet pupil. The love betvv^een this mother and daughter is a poem of itself No one can read the memoir of Margaret, by Washington Irving, without feeling the heart, if not the eyes, overflow. But the links that bound them to each other on earth were soon severed; — for when she was but fifteen years and eight months old, this gentle girl died at Ballston, Saratoga County, in November, 1838. We couid not wish that she should have staid longer on earth, an exile from her native heaven; yet, as we listen to the soaring strains of her young ge- nius, and are borne upward by their energy, we cannot help wondering what would have been its thrilling tones and lofty flights, had life" unfolded its mysteries year afl:er year to her poet's eye. But we thank God she was spared the sight of them ; for though we have lost the songs, she has missed the sorrow ! • Robert Southey, interested in Lucretia's story, wrote eloquently upon it in the London Quarterly/ Review. His high estimate of her genius* may with equal truth be applied to both sisters. " There is enough of originality, enough of aspiration, enough of conscious energy, enough of growing power, in their poems, to warrant any expectations, however sanguine, which the patrons, and friends, and parents of the deceased ''X3uld have formed." LUCRETIA MARIA DAVIDSON. 289 LUCRETIA. TO MY SISTER. When evening spreads her shades around^ And darkness fills the arch of heaven : When not a murmur, not a sound To Fancy's sportive ear is given; • When the broad orb of heaven is bright, And looks around with golden eye ; When Nature, soften'd by her light. Seems calmly, solemnly to lie; Then, when our thoughts are raised above This world, and all this world can give; Oh, sister, sing the song I love. And tears of gratitude receive. The song which thrills my bosom's core, . And hovering, trembles, half afraid ; O sister, sing the song once more Which ne'er for mortal ear was made. 'T were almost sacrilege to sing Those notes amid t]ye glare of day; Notes borne by angel'k purest wing. And wafted by their bYeath away. When sleeping in my grass-grown bed, Should'st thou still linger here above^ Wilt thou not kneel beside my head, And, sir-ter, sing the song I love ,f 25 T 290 LUCRETIA MARIA DAVIDSON. PEATS OF DEATH. I HAVE pass'd o'er the earth in the darkness of night, I have walk'd the wild winds in the morning's broad light ; I have paused o'er the bower where the infant lay sleeping. And 1 've left the fond mother in sorrow and weeping. My pinion was spread, and the cold dew of night Which withers and moulderf the flower in its light. Fell silently o'er the warm cheek in its glow, And I left it there blighted, and wasted, and low ; I culled the fair bud, as it danced in its mirth, And I left it to moulder and fade on the earth. I paused o'er the valley, the glad sounds of joy Rose soft through the mist, and ascended on high ; The fairest were there, and I paused in my flight, And the deep cry of wailing broke wildly that night. I stay not to gather the lone one to earth, I spare not the young in their gay dance of mirth, But I sweep them all on to their home in the grave, I stop not to pity— *I stay not to save. I paused in my pathway, for beauty was there ; It was beauty too death-like, too cold, and too fair! The deep purple fountain seem'd melting away. And the faint pulse of life scarce remember'd to play; She had thought on the tomb, she was waiting for me, I gazed, I passed on, and her spirit was free. The clear stream roll'd gladly, and bounded along, With ripple, and murmur, and sparkle, and song; The minstrel was tuning his wild harp to love, Anc( sweet, and h^lf-sad were the numbers he wpvpv LUCRETIA MARIA DAVIDSON. 291 1 pass'd, and the harp of the bard was unstrung; O'er the stream which roll'd deeply, 'twas recklessly ' hung; The minstrel was not! and I pass'd on alone, O'er the newly-raised turf, and the rudely-carved stone. MORNING. « I COME in the breath of the waken'd breeze, I kiss the flowers, and I bend the trees ; And I shake the dew, which hath fallen by night. From its throne, on the lily's pure bosom of white. Awake thee, when bright from my couch in the sky, I beam o'er the mountains, and come from on high; When my gay purple banners are waving afar; When my herald, gray dawn, hath extinguished each star; When I smile on the woodlands, and bend o'er the lake. Then awake thee, O maiden, I bid thee awake ! Thou mayst slumber when all the wide arches of Heaven Glitter bright with the beautiful fire of even^; When the moon walks in glory, and looks from on high, O'er the clouds floating far through the clear azure sky, Drifting on like the beautiful vessels of Heaven, To their far-away harbour, all silently driven, Bearing on, in their bosoms, the children of light. Who have fled from this dark world of sorrow and night; Where the lake lies in calmness and darkness, save where The bright ripple curls, 'neath the smile of a star; When all is in silence and solitude here, Then sleep, maiden, sleep! without sorrow or fear! But when I steal silently o'er the lake, Awake thee then, maiden, awake ! oh, awake I 292 MARGARET MILLER DAVIDSON. ON THE MOTTO OF A SEAL. "If I lose thee, I aui ;ust." (addressed to a friend.) Wafted o'er a treacherous sea, Far from home, and far from thee; Between the heaven and ocean toss'd, « If I lose thee, I am lost." When the polar star is beaming, O'er the dark-brow'd billows gleaming, I think of thee and dangers cross'd. For, " If 1 lose thee, I am lost." When the lighthouse fire is blazing High towards Heaven its red crest raising, I think of thee, while onward toss'd, For, " If I lose thee, I am lost." MARGARET. TO MY SISTER LUCRETIA. My sister! With that thrilling word What thoughts unnumber'd wildly spring What echoes in my heart are stirr'd. While thus I touch the trembling string! I cannot weep that thou art fled, — For ever blends my soul with thine; Each thought, by purer impulse led, Is soaring on to realms divine. MARGAREl MILLER DAVIDSON 293 Thou v/ert unfit to dwell with clay, For sin too pure, for earth too bright! And death, who calPd thee hence away, Placed on his brow a gem of light ! A gem, whose brilliant glow is shed Beyond the ocean's swelling wave, Which gilds the memory of the dead, And pours its radiance on thy grave. When day hath left his glowing car. And evening spreads her robe of love ; When worlds, like travellers from afar, Meet in the azure fields above ; When all is still, and fancy's realm Is opening to the eager view, Mine eye full oft, in search of thee, Roams o'er that vast expanse of blue. I know that here thy harp is mute, And quench'd the bright poetic fire, Yet still I bend my ear, to catch The hymnings of thy seraph lyre. Oh ! if this partial converse now So joyous to my heart can be. How must the streams of rapture flow When both are chainless, both are free? W^hen borne from earth for evermore. Our souls in sacred joy unite. At God's almighty throne adore, And bathe in beams of endless lijghtl 25* 294 MARGARET MILLER DAVIDSON. TO DIE, AND BE FORGOTTEN A FEW short years will roll along, • With mingled joy and pain, Then shall I pass — a broken tone! An echo of a strain ! Then shall I fade away from life. Like cloud-tints from the sky. When the breeze sweeps their surface o'er, And they are lost for aye. The soul may look with fervent hope To worlds of future bliss ; But oh ! hoAV saddening to the heart To be foro^ot in this ! Who would not brave a life of tears To win an honour'd name ? One sweet and heart-awakening tone From the silver trump of fame ? To be, when countless years have pass'd, The good man's glowing theme ? To be — but I — what right have I To this bewildering dream? Oh, it is vain, and worse than vain, To dwell on thoughts like these ; i, a frail child, whose feeble frame Already knows disease! Who, ere another spring may dawn. Another summer bloom, May, like the flowers of autumn, He A tenant of the tomb. MARGARET MILLER DAVIDSON. ' 295 Away, away, presumptuous thought, I will not dwell on thee! For what, alas ! am I to fame, And what is fame to me ? Let all these wild and longing thoughts With the dying year expire. And I will nurse within my breast A purer, holier fire! Yes, I will seek my mind to win From all these dreams of strife, And toil to write my name within The glorious book of life. Then shall old Time, who, rolling on, Impels me towards the tomb, Prepare for me a glorious crown. Through endless years to bloom. ON SIY MOTHER^S FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY, Yes, mother, fifty years have fled, With rapid footsteps o'er thy head; Have pass'd with all their motley train. And left thee on thy couch of pain ! How many smiles, and sighs, and tears, How many hopes, and doubts, and fears. Have vanish'd with that lapse of years! Though past, those hours of pain and grief Have left their trace on memory's leaf; Have stamp'd their footprints on the heart, In lines which never can depart ; Their influence on the mind must be As endless as eternity. 296 MARGARET MILLER DAVIDSON. 9 Years, ages, to oblivion roll, Their memory forms the deathless soui; They leave their impress as they go, And shape the mind for joy or woe ! Yes, mother, fifty years have past. And brought thee to their close at last Oh that we all cordd gaze, like thee, Back on that dark and tideless sea. And 'mid its varied records find A heart at ease with all mankind, A firm and self-approving mind! Grief, that had broken hearts less fine, Hath only served to strengthen thine ; Time, that doth chill the fancy's play, Hath kindled thine with purer ray, And stern disease, whose icy dart Hath power to chill the shrinking heart. Has kft thine warm with love and truth. As in the halcyon days of youth. Oh ! turn not from the meed of praise A daughter's v/illing justice pays; But greet with smiles of love again This tribute of a daughter's pen. TWILIGHT. Twilight ! sweet hour of peace, Now art thou stealing on; Cease from thy tumult, thought ! and fancy^ cease ! Day and its cares have gone ! Mysterious hour, Thy magic power Steals o'er my heart like music's softest tone. SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. 29* The golden sunset hues Are fading in the west;- The gorgeous clouds their brighter radiance lose, Folded on evening's breast. So doth each wayward thought, From fancy's altar caught, Fade like thy tints, and muse itself to rest. Cold must that bosom be Which never felt thy power, Which never thrilPd with tender melody At this bewitching hour; When nature's gentle art Enchains the pensive heart; When the breeze sinks to rest, and shuts the fragrant flower. Wearied with care, how sweet to hail Thy shadowy, calm repose, When all is silent but the whispering gale Which greets the sleeping rose ; When, as thy shadows blend. The trembling thoughts ascend. And borne aloft, the gates of heaven unclose. SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. This lovely and amiable lady, whose life was of sucli short du- ration, calls forth as much tenderness and admiration as those brighr children of genius we have just been contemplating. She was born at Detroit in June, 1811, and died before she had attained her twenty-first year, in February, 1832. Her family name was Hickman. She was educated by her mother with great care and devotion, in the little town 298 SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH of Newton, near Boston ; which had long been the home of her motner ancestors. She began to compose when a very little child ; and by tho time she was fifteen, her uncommon talents had made her an object of attention to a large circle. At sixteen she Was married to Mr. S. J. Smith, of Providence, R. I., who published a Volume of Poems from her pen, soon after their marriage. There is a delicacy and purity of thought, a cheerful buoyancy of feeling about her productions, which make them both pleasing and use- ful ; and as Mrs. Smith was remarkably sensible of her own deficiencies, and earnest in self-discipline, there is every reason to suppose that she would have attained great excellence, had she not been so early called av/ay. The genius of this young poetess, however, was not her greatest charm. The qualities of her heart were superior to those of her head ; and bright as the shining intellect was, the lustre of her love and truth and purity far outshone it. It has been said by one who knew her well, " Any literary distinction she might have gained could never have been thought of in her presence ; it v/as the confiding sincerity of her man- ners, the playfulness of her conversation, her enthusiastic and devoted assiduity to those she loved, which made her presence a perpetual de- iight." Her personal appearance, also, was one of great loveliness ; fcnd when we are assured that to beauty, genius, and amiability, there was added the most ardent and unaffected piety, we may well believe that she was fitted while on earth for singing among the seraphs in heaven. T H E H U M A .* Fly on ! nor touch thy wing, bright bird, Too near our shaded earth. Or the warbling, now -so sweetly heard, May lose its note of mirth. Fly on — nor seek a place of rest In the home of " care-worn things ;" 'T would dim the light of thy shining crest And thy brightly burnish'd wings, * A bird peculiar to the East. It is supposed to fly constantly in the air, and never touch the ground. SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. 299 To dip them where the waters glide That flow from a troubled earthly tide. The fields of upper air are thine, Thy place where stars shine free: I would thy home, bright one, were mine Above life's stormy sea. 1 would never wander, bird, like thee, So near this place again. With* wing and spirit once light and free - - They should wear no more the chain With which they are bound and fetter'd here, For ever struggling for sides more clear. There agre many things like thee, bright bird, Hopes as thy plumage gay; Our air is with them for ever stirr'd, But still in air they stay. And happiness, like thee, fair one, Is ever hovering o'er. But rests in a land of brighter sun, On a waveless, peaceful shore, And stoops to lave her weary wings. Where the fount of " living waters " springs. I WOULD NEVER KNEEL. I WOULD never kneel at a gilded shrine. To worship the idol gold; I would never fetter this heart of mine, As a thing for fortune sold. There are haughty steps that would walk the globe . O'er necks of humbler .ones ; I would scorn to bow to their jewelPd robe. Or the beam of their coin-lit suns. 300 SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. But I'd bow to the light that God has given, The nobler light of mind, The only light, save that of Heaven, That should free-will homage find. S TAN z A s. I WOULD not have thee deem my heart Unmindful of those higher joys. Regardless of that better part Which earthly passion ne'er alloys. I would not have thee think 1 live Within heaven's pure and blessed light, Nor feeling, nor affection give To Him who makes my pathway bright. J would not chain to mystic creeds A spirit .fetterless and free; The beauteous path to heaven that leads Is dimm'd by earthly bigotiy : And yet, for all that earth can give, And all it e'er can take away, I would not have that spirit rove One moment from its heavenward way. ] would not that my heart were cold And void of gratitude to Him, Who makes' those blessings to unfold, Which by our waywardness grow dim. I would not lose the cherish'd trust Of things within the world to come, — The thought, that when their joys are dusti The weary have a peaceful home. I* or I have left the dearly loved, The home, the hopes of other years. SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. 301 And early in its pathway proved Life's rainbow hues were form'd of tears. I shall not meet them here again, Those loved and lost, and cherishM ones, Bright links in yoimg affection's chain, In memory's sky nnsetting suns. But perfect in the world above. Through suffering, v/oe, and trial here, Shall glow the undiminish'd love Which clouds and distance faiPd to sear; But I have linger'd all to long. Thy kind remembrance to engage, And woven but a mournful song. Wherewith to dim thy page. THE FALL O F W A R S'A W. Through Warsaw there is weeping, And a voice of sorrow now. For the hero who is sleeping. With death upon his brow ; The trumpet-tone will waken No more his martial tread, Nor the battle-ground be shaken, When his banner is outspread 1 Now let our hymn Float through the aisle. Faintly and dim. Where moonbeams smile ; Sisters, let our solemn strain Breathe a blessing o'er the slain ! There 's a voice of grief in Warsaw, The mourning of the brave O'er the chieftain who is gather'd Unto his honour'd grave; 26 SARAH LOUISA P. SMITH. Who now will face the foeman ? Who break the tyrant's chain? Their bravest one lies fallen, And sleeping with the slain. Now let our hymn Float through the aisle, Faintly and dim, Where moonbeams smile; Sisters, let our dirge be said slowly o'er the sainted dead! There's a voice of. woman weeping' In Warsaw heard to-night, And. eyes close not in sleeping, That late with joy were bright; No F'estal torch is lighted. No noles of music swell; Their country's hope was blighted. When that son of freedom fell ! Now let our hymn Float through the aisle, Faintly and dim. Where moonbeams smile; Sisters, let our hymn arise Sadly to the midnight skies! And a voice of love undying. From the tomb of other years, Like the west wind's summer sighing, It blends with manhood's tears; It whispers not of glory. Nor fame's unfading youth, B;U lingers o'er a story Of young affection's truth. Now let our hymn Float through the aisle. LYDIA JANE PElRSON. 303 Faintly and dim, * Where moonbeams smile ; Sisters, let onr solemn strain Breathe a blessing o'er the slain ! LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. Thsj pleasant city of Middletown, Connecticut, was the birthplace of "The forest minstrel," Mrs. Peirson. Her parents, (whose sur- name was Wheeler,) were both persons of great intelligence and piety, and afforded their daughter every facility for obtaining a good educa- tion. Her poetical tastes were quickly developed, and fondly encou- raged by her father^ who was himself a passionate lover of poetry, flowers, music, and of whatever makes life beautiful. Some of her ear- liest recollections are of singing her own rhymes to little vs^ild airs ot her own composition, as she sat at twilight among the flowers her father had planted, and taught her to cultivate. In her happy childhood's home she remained until her sixteenth year, when her father removed to Canandaigua, N. Y. Here, at the age of seventeen, she married, and two years after, went with'her husband and his family to Liberty, Tioga County, where she breasted the hardships of pioneer life in one of the wildest northern counties of Pennsylvania. For a long while her dwelling-place was a log-cabin in the woods, five miles from any house, and twenty from any village where there was a store, or a house for public worship. Her privations and inconveniences were many, and her sorrows too ; but she poured out her soul in song, and found — to use her own words — that her " converse with poetry, wild-flowers, and sing- ing birds, was nearly all that made life endurable." She is still a dweller of the forest, but has exchanged the log-hut for a beautiful farm in the midst of those dense woods. Not long ago we received from the Hon. Ellis Lewis, of Lancaster, a short account of the way in which this pleasant change was brought about ; and have since seen the interesting story in print, from which we feel no hesitancy in transcribing. " A num- ber of years ago, when the best talents of Pennsylvania were called into 304 LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. Requisition to establish a system of common schools for the general edu- cation of the people, Thaddeus Stevens, a distinguished lawyer of the state, made a masterly speech in the Legislature in favour of education. Judge Ellis Lewis, .who is also distinguished for his learning and ability as a jurist, was at the time President of several literary institutionSj and zealously engaged in promoting the cause of education by deliver^ ing literary and scientific lectures. About this time, a powerful pro- duction in poetry, in favour of education, made its appearance, and gave a new impetus to the cause. Judge Lewis made immediate inquiry concerning the writer of it ; and ascertained that, ov/ing to a long and sad train of misfortunes, the fair authoress, with a large family, was with- out a home, and in a state of great pecuniary embarrassment. He met Mr. Stevens, then a rich bachelor, in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, and suggested the propriety of raising something for the relief of so much talent and worth. With that true benevolence for which Mr. Stevens is distinguished, he authorized the Judge to pur- chase a suitable farm, such as the lady herself might select, and with- out any limit with respect to the price, to draw upon him for the amount. The lady was overwhelmed v.^ith astonishment when she received a letter from Judge Lewis, who was only known to her by reputation, apprising her of his commission. She, however, made the selection, and the Judge made the purchase, and forwarded to Mrs. Peirson the deed drawn to Thaddeus Stevens, in trust for the separate use of Lydia Jane Peirson, and her heirs and assigns for ever. It is but justice to add, that Mrs. Peirson was an entire stranger to Judge Lewis and Mr. Stevens. Neither had ever seen her." In 1845, a volume of Mrs. Peirson's poetry was published in Phila- delphia, called Forest Leaves, and in the following year, another called The Forest Minstrel. Her poems have appeared also in Graham's Magazine, and other periodicals, to which she still contributes. She writes from the heart, with an intensity of feeling, and a strength of expression, that show she has thought and suffered much. Her muse has, indeed, been disciplined in the school of sorrow ; she has had little leisure for study, and her poems have been generally " written by the flickering lamp of midnight, with a weary hand, and yet more weary heart." LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. 305 REMEMBRANCE OP CHILDHOOD (FROM "my old letters.") The fire is blazing on the ample hearth, Diffusing comfort through the antique room, And we are watching in our simple mirth The giant shadows starting from the gloom. With seeming menace and imperious air They seem to beckon with their wavering* hands, And flit away. We wonder whence they are, And seek to reason of the ghostly bands. But at our mother's voice we leave our play. And crowd our low seats close around her chair 5 Each prompt to meet the loving smiles that play Upon her lips and brow so purely fair. ITer beautiful white hand forsakes awhile The task by love made pleasant for our sake, To rest a moment, with caressing wile, On brov/s that 'neath that pressure could not ache. Her clear eyes rest with proud yet troubled joy Upon the blue-eyed treasures at her feet ; The rosy girl, the noble-hearted boy, The little smilers, with their prattle sweet. All good and happy, through her pious care, Loving and well-beloved, a blessed band. All leaning on her love, rejoiced to share The blessings of her voice, her love, her hand. And, now, our father, who, the whole day long. Had plied the art by which he earns us bread, With glance of pleasure on his own glad throng, Sits down to taste the feast for reason spread. 26* u 306 LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. His much-loved book — the poet's lofty lay, The traveller's tale of strange and far-off lands. The voyager's story of the mighty sea, The attention of the little group commands. We listen, full of wonder and delight. Until the witching volume is laid by, And loving voices breathe the kind "Good night!" And light lids close above each sleepy eye. SING on! " Sing on ! — You will win the wreath of Fame : if not in life, it wU bloom gloriously over your tonih."— Friendly Correspondence. 'Tis not for Fame: I know I may not win A wreath from high Parnassus, for my name Is written on the page of humble life. From which the awarders of the laurel wreath Avert their eyes with scorning. I have felt The mildew of affliction, the east wind Of withering contempt, the pelting storms Of care, and toil, and bitterness, and wo. In almost every form. I too have known The darkness of bereavement, and keen pangs Which woman may not utter, though her heart Consume amid their fierceness, and her brain Burn to a living cinder; though the wound Which is so hard to bear, lie festering deep . Within her outraged spirit; though her sighs Disturb the quiet of the blessed night, While sweet dews cool and soothe the fever'd breast Of every other mourner ; though she pour The flood of life's sweet fountain out in tears Along her desert pathway ; while the blooms LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. 307 Of health, and hope, and joy, that should have fed Upon its gushing waters and ricli dew, Lie wither'd in her bosom, breathing forth The odours of a crush'd and wasted heart. That cannot hope for soothing or redress, Save in the quiet bosom of the grave, And in the heaven beyond. 'Tis not for Fame That I awaken with my simple lay The echoes of the forest. I but sing As sings the bird, that pours her native strain. Because her soul is made of melody; And lingering in the bowers, her warblings seem To gather round her all the tuneful forms. Whose bright wings shook rich incense from the tk»wers, And balmy verdure of the sweet young spring. O'er which the glad day shed his brightest smile. And night her purest tears. I do but sing Like that sad bird, who in her loneliness Pours out in song the treasures of her soul, Which else would burst her bosom, which has nought On which to lavish the warm streams that gush Up from her trembling heart, and pours them forth Upon the sighing winds, in fitful strains. Perchance one pensive spirit loves the song. And lingers in the twilight near the wood To list her plaintive sonnet, which unlocks The sealed fountain of a hidden grief. — That pensive listener, or some playful child. May miss the lone bird's song, what time her wings Are folded in the calm and silent sleep. Above her broken heart. Then, though they weep In her deserted bower, and hang rich wreaths Of ever-living flowers upon her grave. 308 LYDIA JANE TEIRSON. What will it profit her who would have slept As deep and sweet without them? Oh ! how vain With promised garlands for the sepulchre. To think to cheer the soul, whose daily prayer Is but for bread and peace! — whose trembling hopes For immortality ask one green leaf From off the healing trees that grow beside The pure bright river of Eternal Life. THE LAST PALE FLOWERS. The last pale flowers are drooping on the stems, The last sear leaves fall fluttering from the tree, The latest groups of Summer's flying gems Are hymning forth a parting melody. The winds are heavy-wing'd and linger by. Whispering to eve*Vy pale and sighing leaf; The sunlight falls all dim and tremblingly. Like love's fond farewell through the mist of griefc There is a dreamy presence every where, As if of spirits passing to and fro ; We almost hear their voices in the air. And feel their balmy pinions touch the brow. We feel as if a breath might put aside The shadowy i^rtains of the spirit-land. Revealing all the loved and glorified That death has taken from aflection's band. VVe call their names, and listen, for the sound Of their sweet voices' tender melodies ; We look almost expectantly around. For those dear faces with the loving eyes. LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. 309 We feel them near us, and spread out the scroll Of hearts whose feelmgs they were wont to share. That they may read the cunsiancy of soul- And all the high pure motives written there. And then we weep, as if our cheek were press'd To friendship's holy unsuspecting heart, Which understands our own. Oh, vision iit:.stl Alas, that such illusion should depart. 1 oft have pray'd that death may come tc me Jn such a spiritual autumn day; For surely it would be no agony With all the beautiful to pass away. COME TO THE WOOE«. Come to the woods in June, 'Tis happiness to rove When Nature's lyres are all in tune. And life all full of love. Come, when the morning light, Advancing from afar. Veils, with a glory soft and bright. Her smiling favourite star. While from the dewy dells. And every wild-wood bower, A thousand little feather'd bells Ri^ig out the matin hour. Come^ when the sun is high, And earth all full in bloom. When every passing summer sigh Is languid with perfume; When by the mountain-brook The watchful red-deer lies: 3i0 LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. And spotted fawns, in mossy nook, Have closed their wild, bright eyes ; — While from the giant tree, And fairy of the sod, A dreamy wind-harp melody Speaks to the soul of God.; Whose beauteous gifts of love The passing hours unfold. Till e'en the sombre hemlock boughs Are tipped with fringe of gold. Come, when the sun is set, And see along the west Heaven's glory, streaming through the gate By which he pass'd to rest. # While brooklets, as they flow Beneath the cool sweet bowers, Sing fairy legends, soft and low. To groups of listening flowers } And creeping formless shades Make distance strange and dim, And with the daylight softly fades The wild bird's evening hymn. Come, when the woods are dark, And winds go fluttering by. While here and there a phantom bams^ Floats in the deep blue sky, While gleaming far away Beyond th' aerial flood. - Lies in its starry majestv The city of our Goa. LYDIAJANEPEIRSON. 31 i THEBRIDEOF HEAVEN. How beautiful she lies, upon her pure white bed, While pale flowers o'er her brow a holy incense shed; The eyelids tremble not, so peaceful is her rest, That even her maiden heart lies silent in her breast. Why o'er the sweet calm face, fond mother, dost thou weep ? Wouldst thou awake thy child from such a quiet sleep ? She is asleep with Him whose love alone is pure. Within whose presence bliss shall evermore endure. No grief, no care, no pain, can ever pierce her heart, No loved voice say again, "sweet sister, we must part!'' The living waters sweet have quench'd her spirit's thirst, And on her soul the light of Holiness has burst. Why weep we then for her whose days of pain are o'er? Bright hands have wiped her tears, and she shall shed no more. To agony and tears the brides of earth are given — Oil, bless her, as she lies, the pure young bride of Heaven. SUNSET IN THE FOREST. Come now unto the Forest, and enjoy . The loveliness of nature. Look abroad And note the tender beauty and repose Of the magnificent, in earth and sky. • See what a radiant smile of golden light O'erspreads the face of heaven ; while the west Burns like a living ruby, in the ring Of the deep green horizon. Now the shades Are deepening round the feet of the tall trees. Bending the head of the pale blossoms down Upon iheir mother's bosom, where the breeze Comes with a low -sweet hymn and balmy kiss, 312 LYDIA JANE PEIRSON. To lull them to repose. Look now, and see How every mountain, with its leafy plume. Or rocky helm, with crest of giant pine. Is veiPd with floating amber, and gives back The loving smile of the departing sun. And nods a calm adieu. Hark! from the dell Where sombre hemlocks sigh unto the stream, Which with its everlasting harmony Returns each tender whisper; what a gush Of liquid m.elody, like soft, rich tones Of flute and viol, mingling in sweet strains Of love and rapture, float away toward heaven. 'Tis the jEdoleo from her sweet place. Singing to nature's God the perfect hymn Of nature's innocence. Does it not seem That earth is list'ning to that evening song ? There's such a hush on mountain, plain, and streams. Seems not the sun to linger in his bower On yonder leafy summit, pouring forth His glowing adoration unto God, Blent with that evening hymn ? while every flower Bows gracefully, and mingles with the strain Its balmy breathing. Have you look'd on aught In jail the panoply and bustling pride Of the dense city with its worldly throng. So soothing, so delicious to the soul. So like the ante-chamber of high heaven, As this old forest, with the emerald crown Which it has worn for ages, glittering * With the bright halo of departing day. While from its bosom living seraphim Are hymning gratitude and love to God? JULIA H. SCOTT. This lady, whose maiden name was Kinney, residea m Towandaj Bradford County, Pennsylvania, a place whose wild romantic beauty has been celebrated by many of her sister-poets. She died in 1842, and, soon after this event, A Volume of Poems was collected from her writings, and published in Boston. Her style was simple and melo- dious; the following- exquisite lines to My Child are full of natural unagery, poetic thought, and unaftected feeling. MY CHILD. "There is one who has loved me debarr'd from the day." The foot of Spring is on yon blue-topp'd mountain, Leaving its green prints 'neath each spreading tree; Her voice is heard beside the swelling fountain, Giving sweet tones to its wild melody. From the warm South she brings unnumberM roses To greet with smiles the eye of grief and care ; Her balmy breath on the worn brow reposes. And her rich gifts are scatter'd everywhere : I heed them not, my child ! In the low vale the snow-white daisy springeth, The golden dandelion by its side, llie eglantine a dewy fragrance flingeth To the soft breeze that wanders far and wide. The hyacinth and polyanthus render. From their deep hearts, an offering of love; And fresh May -pinks, and half-blown lilacs, tender Their grateful homage to the skies above : I heed them not, my child ! 27 ' ' ?*5) 314 JULIA H. SCOTT. In the clear brook are springing water-cressey, And pale-green rushes, and fair, nameless flowers, While o'er them dip the willow's verdant tresses. Dimpling the surface with their mimic showers. The honeysuckle stealthily is creeping Round the low porch and mossy cottage-eaves ; Oh, Spring hath fairy treasures in her keeping. And lovely are the landscapes that she weaves: 'Tis nought to me my child! Down the green lane come peals of heartfelt laughter; The school has sent its eldest inmates forth ; And now a smaller band comes dancing after, Filling the air with shouts of infant mirth. At the rude gate the anxious dame is bending To clasp her rosy darling to her breast; Joy, pride and hope are in her bosom blending ; Ah, peace with her is no unusual guest; Not so with me, my child ! All the day long I listen to the singing Of the gay birds and winds among the trees ; But a sad under-strain is ever ringing A tale of death and its dread mysteries. Nature to me the letter is that killeth — The spirit of her charms has pass'd away; A fount of bliss no more my bosom filleth — Slumbers its idol in unconscious clay! Thou art in the grave, my child I For thy glad voice my spirit inly pineth ; I languish for thy blue eyes' holy light; Vainly for me the glorious sunbeam shineth ; Vainly the blessed stars come forth at night! I walk in darkness, with the tomb before me, Longing to lay my dust beside thy own-. JULIA H. SCOTT. 315 O, cast the mantle of thy presence o'er me! Beloved, leave me not so deeply lone! Come back to me, my child! fjpon that breast of pitying love thou leanest, Which oft on earth did pillov/ such as thou, Nor turn'd away petitioner the meanest — Pray to Him, sinless — He will hear thee now. Plead for thy weak and broken-hearted mother: Pray that thy voice may whisper words' of peace; Her ear is deaf, and can discern no other; Speak, and her bitter sorrowings shall cease : Come back to m.e, my child ! Come but in dreams — let me once more behold thee. As in thy hours of buoyancy and glee. And one brief moment in my arms enfold thee — Beloved, I will not ask thy stay with me! Leave but the impress of thy dove-like beauty, Which memory strives so vainly to recall, And I will onward in the path of duty. Restraining tears that ever fain would fall ! Come but in dreams, my child! LOVE IN ABSENCE, I MISS thee each lone hour, Star of my heart ! No other voice hath power Joy to impart I listen for thy hasty step, Thy kind sweet tone; But silence w^hispers me^ Thou art alone f 316 JULIA H. SCOTT, Darkness is on the hearth — Naught do I say; Books are but little worth — Thou art away! Voices, the true and kiil3, Strange are to me; I have lost heart and mind. Thinking of thee. TO Lovely thou art! ay, lovely In spirit and in form; A sunbeam glancing o'er life's tears, A rainbow through the storm; A snow-drop 'mid earth's darker hues, Unwarm'd by flattery's breath, A harp-tone flung from cherub hands, Wringing out joy from deatH. Lovely thou art, ay, lovely ; And sorrow, shared with thee. As if magician changed, becomes A pleasure unto me. Life's sky, though clothed with tempest-clouds, Grows bright when thou art nigh; And tears e'er turn to smiles beneath Thine angel-gifted eye! ANN S. STEPHENS. Although the name and fame of Mrs. Stephens belong particularly to the prose-writers of America, yet so beautiful in their simplicity and earnestness are some of her poetical strains, that we cannot refrain from giving them a welcome to our pages, while we express our admi- ration of their unpretending merit. Mrs. Stephens is a native of Derby, Connecticut ; and a daughter of John Winterbotham, Esq., who was formerly connected with the late Gen. David Humphreys, in the woollen manufactory at Humphrey's Ville, Conn., but now resides in Ohio. In 1831, she was married to Edward Stephens, Esq., and soon after removed to Portland, Maine. In 1835, she undertook the editorship of The Portland Magazine, (which Mr. Stephens had established,) and conducted it with much success for two years, when ill-health compelled her to give it up. She also edited The Portland Sketch Book, composed of contributions from the various authors of that city. Mrs. Stephens came to New York in 1837, in which city she has resided ever since. ■ For four years she conducted The Ladies^ Companion ; in 1842, she became editorially connected with Graham'' s Magazine; in the following year she established The Ladies' World; and has been constant and energetic in her literary labours until the present time. She is now the editoy of The Ladies' National Maga- zine. Her own contributions, numerous and skilful as they are, to the va- rious periodicals of the day, prove her to be as industrious a composer as she is a laborious editor. Her stories always contain many excellent moral lessons, and much original thought; whatever she writes ia written with a bold pen, and with that unmixed sincerity of purpose, that never fails to attract attention and secure respect. THE OLD APPLE-TREE. I AM thinking of the homestead With its low and sloping roof; And the maple boughs that shadow'd it With a green and leafy woof; 27 * ' ( 317 ) 318 ANN S. STEPHENS. I am thinking of the lilac trees That shook their purple plumes, And, when the sash was open, Shed fragrance through our rooms. I am thinking of the rivulet, With its cool and silvery ilow. Of the old gray rock that shadow'd it, And the peppermint below. I am not sad or sorrowful. But memories will come ; So leave me to my solitude, And let me think of home. There was not around my birthplace A thicket or a flower But childish game, or friendly face. Has given it a power To haunt me in my after life. And be with me again, A sweet and pleasant memory. Of mingled joy and pain. But the old and knotted apple-tree. That stood beneath tlie hill. My heart can never turn to it, But with a pleasant thrill. Oh, what a dreamy life I led Beneath its old green shade. Where the daisies and the buttercups A pleasant carpet made ! 'Twas a rough old tree in spring-time, When, with a blustering sound. The wind came hoarsely sweeping Along the frosty ground. ANN S. STEPHENS. 319 But when there rose a rivalry 'Tween clouds and pleasant weatlier. Till the sunshine and the rain-drops Came laughing down together; That patriarch old apple-tree Enjoy'd the lovely strife ; The sap sprang lightly through its veins. And circled into life ; A' cloud of pale and tender buds Burst o'er each rugged bough, And amid their starting verdure The robins made their vow. That tree was very beautiful When all the leaves were green. And rosy buds lay opening* Amid their tender sheen; When the bright translucent dewdrops Shed blossoms as they fell, And melted in their fragrance, Like music in a shell. It v/as greenest in the summer-time. When cheerful sunlight wove, Amid its thrifty leafniess, A warm and glowing love •, When swelling fruit blush'd ruddily To summer's balmy breath, And the laden boughs droop'd heavily To the green sward underneath. 'Twas brightest in a rainy day. When all the purple west Was piled with fleecy storm-ciouds, That never seem'd at rest ; 320 ANN S. STEPHENS. When a cool and lulling melody- Fell from the dripping eaves, And soft warm drops came pattering Upon the restless leaves. But, oh, the scene was glorious When clouds were lightly riven, And there, above my valley home^ Came out the bow of heaven; And, in its fitful brilliancy Hung quivering on high. Like a jewelPd arch of paradise Reflected through the sky. I am thinking of the footpath My constant visits made, Between the dear old homestead And that leafy apple shade; Where the flow of distant waters Came with a tinkling sound. Like the revels of a fairy band, Beneath the fragrant ground. I haunted it at even-tide, And dreamily would lie And watch the crimson twilight Come stealing o'er the sky. 'T was sweet to see its dying gold Wake up the dusky leaves. To hear the swallows twittering Beneath the distant eaves. ■ I have listen'd to the music, A low sv/eet minstrelsy. Breathed by a lonely night-bird That haunted that old tree. ANN S. STEPHENS. 321 Till my heart has swelPd with feelings For which it had no name, A yearning love for poesy, A thirsting after fame, I have gazed up through the foliage With dim and tearful eyes. And with a holy reverence Dwelt on the changing skies, Till the burning stars were peopled With forms of spirit-birth. And I've almost heard their harp-strings Reverberate on earth. SONG. Let me perish in the early spring. When thickets all are green ; When rosy buds are blossoming Amid their tender sheen; When the raindrops and the sunshine Lie sleeping in the leaves ; And swallows haunt the thrifty vine, That drapes the cottage eaves. Let me perish in the early spring, The childhood of the year; I would not have a gloomy thing Pass o'er my humble bier ; For when a broken heart gives way= In such a world as ours, 'T is well to let thd humblu cl^y Pass gently with the flowers. V CAE.OLI]S'E M. SAW ^ER. Mrs. Sawyer, whose maiden name was Fisher, was born at New* ton, Massachusetts, in the year 1812, and lived there until her marriage with the Rev.'T. J. Sawyer in 1831. -Her husband was settled as a pastor over a Presbyterian church in the city of New York for a num- ber of years, but is now the president of a literary institution in Clinton, N. Y. Mrs. Sawyer is a lady of refined taste and cultivated mind, familiar with many of the modern languages, and accustomed to write translations from the German. She takes a warm interest in the edu- cation of the young ; and has published a number of useful little books, both in prose and verse, for children. Her poems are scattered through various mag'azines ; the following are among her best. EDITH. EoBED in strange beauty, she comes back to me, A shadowy vision from the spirit-land ; From eve till morn her phantom shape I see, Beck'ning me ever with her moonlight hand. Beloved Edith! dost thou come to breathe Once more thy music on mine earthly ear.'* Around my heart in passion-folds to wreathe Mem'ries that still are all too deeply -dear .'* Forbear the task ! for earth grows dark to me ; And shadows, deeper than my soul can bear, Sweep o'er it oft, like tempests o'er the sea, To leave all desolate and sunless there. Tell me, sweet spirit ! do they pass away — These mournful shadows — in the land of light.'' Or linger onward through the heavenly day — The onl^ darkness where all else is briglitf? (322) CAROLINE M . SAWYER*. 323 Are the unutter'd yearnings which are nurst Here, by the restless spirit, answer'd there? Hath heaven a fountain for the quenchless thirst Which through earth's weary pilgrimage we bear ? Thy quest was beauty- — such as we behold JSTot while. Time's fetters clog the spirit's wing : A pure ethereal — thou didst spurn the mould Of earth, and closer to the heavenly cling. In the pale clouds which wander through the sky — In the bright .stars that 'mid their orbits burn. And light the spirit through the upturn'd eye — Beauty thou saw'st few others can discern. The first frail flowers — sweet nurslings of the spring— The drooping snov/-drop and the violet fair. To thy young heart a sudden thrill could bring, A gushing joy, too rapturous to bear. Yet did thy spirit, like a fetter'd dove. Its bright ideal struggle still to gain; rill the fond searcher, on the brow of Love, Found it at length, and broke its weary chain. Now, I believe, no cloud obscures thy sight — No gliding spectre darkly steps between The beautiful and thee; but, robed in light. All thy soul yearn'd for by thine eye is seen. Ay, by the lustre of thy starry brow — The seraph-beauty on thy cheek imprest — The joyous beams that through thy soft eyes glow — Edith ! beloved ! I know that thou art blest. Spirit celestial ! linger round me still, With all the beauty thou hast sought and found. And the deep urn within my bosom fill From tfiose bright rays whicii circle thee around. 324 GAROLINE M. SAWYER. Thy quest is mine! and thou my soul wilt leach Through what blest paths to seek its lofty goal ; Lead me still on, and up, until I reach The land where beauty ever fills the soul! THE BOY AND HIS ANGEL. •'Oh, mother, I've been with an angel to-day! I was out, alone, in the forest at play. Chasing after the butterflies, watching the bees. And hearing the woodpecker tapping the trees ; So I played, and I played, till, so weary I grew, I sat down to rest in the shade of a yew. While the birds sang so sweetly high up on its top, [ held my breath, mother, for fear they v/ould stop.' Thus a long while I sat, looking up to the sky, And watching the clouds that went hurrying by, When I heard a voice calling just over my head. That sounded as if ' come, oh brother !' it said ; And there, right over the top of the tree. Oh mother, an angel was beck'ning to me! And, 'brother!' once more, 'come, oh brother! he cried, And flew on light pinions close down by my side ! And mother, oh, never was being so bright. As the one which then beam'd on my wondering sight! His face was as fair as the delicate shell. His hair down his shoulders in fair ringlets fell. His eyes resting on me, so melting with love. Were as soft and as mild as the eyes of a dove ! And somehow, dear mother, I felt not afraid, As his hand on. my brow he caressingly laid. And whispered so softly and gently to me, ' Come, brother, the angels are waiting for thee !' CAROLINE M. SAWYER. o25 " And then on my forehead he tenderly press'd Such kisses — oh, mother, they thrill' d through my breast, As swiftly as lightning leaps down from on high, ' When the chariot of God rolls along the black sky ! While his breath, floating round me, was soft as the breeze That play'd in my tresses, and rustled the trees; At last on my head a deep blessing he pom-'d, Then plumed his bright pinions and upward he soar'd! And up, up he went, through the blue sky, so far, He seem'd to float there like a glittering star. Yet still my eyes follow'd his radiant flight. Till, lost in the azure, he pass'd from my sight ! Then, oh, how I fear'd, as I caught the last gleam Of his vanishing form, it was only a dream ! When feoft voices whisper'd once more from the tree, ' Come, brother, the angels are waiting for thee !' " Oh, pale grew that mother, and heavy her heart, For she knev/ her fair boy from this world must depart ! That his bright locks must fade in the 'dust of the tomb Ere the autumn winds withered the summer's rich bloom! Oh, how his young footsteps she watch'd, day by day. As his delicate form wasted slowly away. Till the soft light of heaven seemed shed o'er his face. And he crept up to die in her loving embrace ! " Oh, clasp me, dear mother, close, close to your breast. On that gentle pillow again let me rest! Let me once more gaze up to that dear, loving eye. And then, oh, methinks, I can willingly die ! Now kiss me, dear mother! oh, quickly!, for see. The bright, blessed angels are waiting for me !" Oh, wild was the anguish that swept through her breast, As the long, frantic kiss on his pale lips she press'd ! And felt the vain search of his soft, pleading eye. As it strove to meet her's ere the fair boy could cue. 28 3'2G CAROLINE M. SAWYER. •'■ I see you aot, mother, for darkness and night Are hiding your dear loving face from my sight — -But I hear your low sobbings — dear mother, good bye! The angels are ready to bear me on high ! 1 will wait for you there — but, oh, tarry not long, Lest grief at your absence should sadden my song !" He ceased, and his hands meekly clasp'd on his breast, While his sweet face sank down on its pillov/ of rest, Then, closing his eyes, now all rayless and dim, Went up with the angels that waited for him! THE VALLEY OF PEACE. Ii was a beautiful conception of the Moravians to give to I'ural cern* teries the appropriate name of " Valleys^^ or '■'■Fields of Peace.''' Oh, come, let us go to the Valley of Peace ! There earth's weary cares to perplex us shall cease ; We will stray through its solemn and far-spreading shades, Till twilight's last ray from each green hillock fades. There slumber the friends whom we long must regret — The forms whose mild beauty we cannot forget! We will seek the low mounds where so softly they sleep. And will sit down and muse on the idols we weep : But we will not repine that they 're hid from our eyes, For we know they still live in a home in the skies ; But we '11 pray that, when life's weary journey shall cease, We may slumber witli them in the Valley of Peace ! Oh, sad were our path through this valley of tears. If, when weary and wasted with toil and with years, No home were prepared, where the pilgrim might lay Mortality's cumbering vestments away ! " But sadder, and deeper, and darker the gloom. That would close o'er our way as we speed to the tomb, CAROLINE M. SAWYER. 321 If faith pointed not to that heavenly goal. Where the sun of eternity beams on the soul! Oh, who, 'mid the sorrows and changes of time, E'er dream'd of that holy, that happier clime. But yearn'd for the hour of the spirit's release — For a pillow of rest in the Valley of Peace ! Oh, com.e, thou pale mourner, whose sorrowing gaze Seems fix'd on the shadows of long vanish'd days. Sad, sad is thy tale of bereavement and woe. And thy spirit, is weary of life's garish show ! Come here — I will show thee a haven of rest. Where sorrow no longer invades the calm breast — Where the spirit throws off its dull mantle of care. And the robe is ne'er folded o'er secret despair! Yet the dwelling is lonely, and silent, and cold. And the soul may shrink back as its portals unfold ; But a bright star has dawn'd through the shades of the east That will light up with beauty the Valley of Peace ! Thou frail child of error! come hither and say, Has the world yet a charm that can lure thee to stay ? Ah, no! in thine aspect are anguish and woe. And deep shame has written its name on thy brow ! Poor outcast! too long hast thou wander'd forlorn. In a path where thy feet are all gored with the thorn — Wliere thy breast by the fang of the serpent is stung. And scorn on thy head by a cold world is flung ! Come here, and find rest from thy guilt and thy tears. And a sleep sweet as that of thine innocent years ! We will spread thee a couch where thy woes shall all cease^ Oh, come and lie down in the Valley of Peace ! The grave! ah, the grave! 'tis a mighty strong-hold The weak, the oppress'd, all are safe in its fold ' There penury's toil-wasted children may come. And the helpless, the houseless, at last find a home ! CATHERINE H. E SLING. f Wliat myriads unnumber'd have sought its repose, Since the day when the sun on creation first rose: And there, till earth's latest, dread morning shall break, Shall its wide generations their last dwelling make! But beyond is a world — how resplendently bright ! And all that have lived shall be bathed in its light ! We shall rise — we shall soar where earth's sorrows sba. i cease, Though our mortal clay rests in the Valley of Peace \ CATHEEINE H. ESLING. This lady, best known as Miss Catherine H. Waterman, has long been an able contributor to the periodical literature of the country. A selec- tion from her writings, entitled " The Broken Bracelet and other Poems," has recently been published in Philadelphia. Here poems are smoothly and gracefully written ; always pleasing, from the deep and pure affec- tion they display. Tender and heart-stirring, indeed, is the pathos of that exquisite strain — Brother, come home ! Miss Waterman v/as born in Philadelphia, in 1812, married there, in 1840, to Captain Esling, and has remained there all her life ; never having left her home for a greater distance than forty miles, or for a longer period, than forty-eight hours. Well may such a nestling bird sing sweetly of home's quiet joys ! BROTHER, COME HOME. Come home. Would I could send my spirit o'er the deep. Would I could wing it like a bird to thee, 'I'o commune with thy thoughts, to fill thy sleep With these unwearying words of melody ; Brother, come home. CATHERINE H. ESLING. 329 Come home, Come to the hearts that love thee, to the eyes That beam in brightness but to gladden thine, Come whore fond thoughts like holiest incense rise. Where cherish'd memory rears her altar's shrine; Brother, come home. Come home, Come to the hearth-stone of thy earlier days, Come to the ark, like the o'er-wearied dove, Come with the sunlight of thy heart's warm rays. Come to the fire-side circle of thy love; Brother, come home. Come home. It is not hom.e without thee ; the lone seat Is still unclaim'd where thou were wont to be. In every echo of returning feet. In vain v/e list for what should herald thee; Brother, come home. Come home. We've nursed for thee the sunny buds of spring, Watch'd every germ the full-blown flowers rear, Seen o'er their bloom the chilly winter bring Its icy garlands, and thou art not here ; Brother, come home. Come home, W"ould I couid send my spirit o'er the deep, Would I could wing it like a bird to thee — To commune with thy thoughts, to fill thy sleep With these unwearying words of melody ; Brother, come home. 38* 330 CATHERINE H. ESLING. • HOW SHALL I WOO THEE? How shall I woo thee, tell me how, With looks and words of gladness ? Then gaze not on my pale, pale brow, Nor note my tones of sadness. How shall I woo thee ? with a smile That speaks the bosom clear? Look not upon mine eyes the while, Nor mark the starting tear. How shall I woo thee ? with the bright And blessed words of joy ? Drive. from my heart its long, long night, Its early life's alloy. How shall I woo thee, tell me how ? Will sorrow make thee mine ? Can the sad heart I bring thee now Find favour at thy shrine.? How shall I woo thee? with a gleam That glistens but to die. Fleet as the summer's moonlight beam Upon an evening sky? How shall I v/oo thee ? as the night "Woos Vv^th its silver dew The faithless flowers, that burst to light Beneath the sun's bright hue ? How shall I woo thee, tell me how ? If thou hast aught of care To dim the glory of thy brow, Let me thy sadness share. How shall I woo thee ? with a stram Like that of other times ? CATHERINE II. ESLING. 331 And seek, thro' memory's caves again, Hope's sweet delusive chimes. ^ How shall I woo thee, tell me how ? Can sorrow make thee mine ? For a sad heart hath coiire to bow, And worship at thy shrine. HE WAS OUR father's DARLING He was our father's darling, A bright and happy boy; — His life was like a summer's day Of innocence and joy. His voice, like singing waters. Fell softly on the ear. So sweet, that hurrying echo Might linger long to hear. He was our mother's cherub. Her life's untarnish'd light, Her blessed joy by morning, Her vision'd hope by night. His eyes were like the day-beams That brighten all below; His ringlets like the gather'd gold Of sunset's gorgeous glow. He was our sister's plaything, A happy child of glee, That frolick'd on the parlour floor. Scarce higher than our knee. His joyous bursts of pleasure ■ , Were wild as mountain wind ; His laugh, the free unfetter'd laugh Of childhood's chainless mind 332 LAURA M. THURSTON. He was our brothers' treasure, Theu" bosom's only pride; A fair depending blossom, By their protecting side. A thing to w^ch and cherish, With varying hopes and fears; To make the slender trembling reed Their staff for future years. He is — a blessed angel, His home is in the sky ; He shines among those living lights, Beneath his Maker's eye. A freshly gather'd lily, A bud of early doom. Hath been transplanted from the' earth. To bloom beyond the tomb. LAURA M. THURSTON. Mrs. Thurston, daughter of Mr. Earl P. Hawley, was born at Nor- folk, Connecticut, in December, 1812. She was educated at the Hart- ford Female Seminary, and after leaving it was engaged for some years as a teacher in various places, until, through the recommendation of Mr. John P. Brace, (principal of the Hartford Seminary,) she was invited to take charge of" a school at New- Albany, Indiana. In September, 1839, she became the wife of Franklin Thurston, a merchant of that place, where she resided until her death, in July, 1842. Her poems appeared from time to time in the periodicals under the signature of Viola, and she sang forth her feelings with a melodious voice, which never failed to find an echo in the hearts of those who heard it. LAURA M. THURSTON. THE GREEN TIII,LS OF MY FATUER-LAND The green hills of my Father-land In dreams still greet my view ; I see once more the wave-girt strand, The ocean-depth of blue, The sky, the glorious sky, outspread Above their calm repose, The river, o'er its rocky bed Still singing aS it flows. The stillness of the Sabbath hours, - When men go up to pray. The sunlight resting on the flowers, The birds that sing among the bowers, Through all the summer day. Land of my birth ! my early love ! Once more thine airs I breathe! I see thy proud hills tower above, The green vales sleep beneath. Thy groves, thy rocks, thy murmuring rills, All rise before mine eyes. The davv^n of morning on thy hills. The gorgeous sunset skies ; Thy forests, from whose deep recess A thousand streams have birth, — Gladdening the lonely wilderness, And filling the green silentness With melody and mirth. I wonder if my home would seem As lovely as of yore ! I wonder if the mountain stream Goes singing by the door, And if the flowers still bloom as fair 334 L.A U R A M . T H U R S T N . And if the woodbines climb, As when I used to tram thein ihciCj In the dear olden time. I wonder if the birds still sing Upon the garden tree, As sweetly as in that sweet spring Whose golden memories gently brmg Sa many dreams to me! I know that tliere hath been a change, A change o'er hall and hearth, Faces and footsteps new and strange. About my place of birth ! The heavens above are still as bright As in the days gone by; But vanished is the beacon-light That cheer'd my morning sky! And hill, and vale, and wooded glen, And rock, and murmuring stream. That wore such glorious beauty then, Would seem, should I return again, The record of a dream ! I mourn not for my childhood's hours, Since, in the far-off West, 'Neath summer skies, and greener bowers, My heart hath found its rest. I mourn not for the hills and streams That chain'd my steps so long. Yet still I see them in my dreams. And hail them in my song. And often, by the hearth-fire's blaze, When winter eves are come. We '11 sit and talk of other days. And sing the well-remember'd lays Of my Green Mountain home! LAURA 1,1. 1 FI U R S T N . 33D T H E S X. E E P E L, . She sleepetii , and ilie summer breezes' sighin,^, Shedding tlie green leaves on the fountain's breast. And the low murmur of the stream replying Unto their melody, break not her rest. She sleepeth, while the evening dews are falling In glittering showers upon her lowly bed ; And the lone night-bird, to his fellow calling. Sweet echo wakes — but wakens not the dead. She sleepeth; and the "moonlight too is sleeping In calm, clear radiance on that hallow'd spot; As if that turf ne'er bore the train of weeping. As if the dead were evermore forgot. She sleepeth ; deep and dreamless is her slumber, She will not waken when the morning breaks; No — time a weary catalogue shall number Of vanish'd years, ere she again awakes. I know thy home is lonely — that thy dwelling No more shall echo to that loved one's tread; I know too v/ell thy widow'd heart is swelling With secret grief; yet weep not for the dead. She yet shall waken on that morning glorious, When day shall evermore displace the night. O'er time and change, and pain and death victorious, A holy seraph in the land of light. Yes, she shall waken ; not to gloom and sorrow, Not to the blight of care, the thrill of pain, Wake to the day that ne'er shall know a morrowj To life that shall not yield to death again. 336 MARTHA D 4 y . She rests in peace; lor her forbear thy weeping; Thou soon shalt meet her in the world on hijrh! The care-worn form in yonder ^ave is sleeping, But the freed spirit lives beyond the slty . MARTHA DAY. This sweet and gifted girl was born in New Haven, on the 13th of February, 1813. Her father, Jeremiah Day, D. D., L.L. D., President of Yale College, who early saw in her the evidences of very superior talent, spared no pains in giving her an excellent education. He placed her first under the care of the Rev. Claudius Herrick, who kept a school for young ladies in New Haven ; then at a boarding-school in Greenfield, Massachusetts, as an assistant-teacher as well as pupil, under the charge of the Rev. Henry Jones; and afterwards for one year at the Young Ladies' Institute, in her native town. After leaving school, she diligently continued her studies ; became a proficient in Mathe- matics and Mental Philosophy, understood the Latin, Greek, French, and German languages, and was well-grounded in solid English lite- rature. Her high attainments and rich native talents gave promise of her being a useful member of society, and a bright ornament to her sex ; but in 1833, at the early age of twenty, she was suddenly snatched away by that strong hand whose power none can resist. A small volume of her Literary Remains was published in New Haven, the year after her death. It contained, besides other writings, all her poems which had been preserved ; but she wrote hastily, and was never satisfied witl her poetical eflbrts, consequently not careful to keep them. The following beautiful and eloquent hymn displays a sublimity of thought and strength of expression most remarkable in so young a person. No one can read it without feeling a sincere respect for the author, and a deep regret at the early removal of talent so worthily directed. MARTHA DAY 337 , HYMN. Father Almighty! From thy high seat thou watchest and coiitroHest The insects that upon thy footstool creep, While, with a never-wearied hand, thou rollest Millions of worlds along the boundless deep, Oh, Father ! now the clouds hang blackening o'er us.^ And the dark boiling dee^s beneath us yawn ; Scatter the tempests, quell the waves before us, . To the wild fearful night send thou a blessed dawn. Father All Holy! AVhen thou shalt sit upon thy throne of glory, The steadfast earth, the strong untiring sea. Their verdant isles, their mountains high and hoary. With awe and fear, shall from thy presence flee. Then shalt thou sit a Judge, the guilty dooming To adamantine chains and endless fire; Oh Father! how may we abide thy coming, Where find a shelter from the pure Jehovah's irer Father All Merciful ! Still may the guilty come in peace before thee, Bathing thy feet with tears of love and woe ; And while for pardon only we implore thee, Blessings divine, unnumber'd, o'er us flow. Father, her heart from all her idols tearing, Thine erring child again would turn to thee; To thee she bends, trembling, yet not despairing, — From fear, remorse, and sin, oh. Father ! set her free ! 29 w MARY ANN H. DODD . Was Ijorn at Hartford, in March, 1813, and educated alternately at Wethersfield, and in her native town. Her productions first appeared in 1834, in the Hermethenean, a magazine conducted by the students of Washington College, Hartford. Since that time she has been a frequent contributor to the Ladies'' Repository, a Boston periodical, and to the Rose of Sharon, an annual edited by the late Mrs. Mayo, whose poems are quoted in another part of this volume. She possesses a poetical sensibilit^jr, and the power of deducing moral lessons from the changfes of life. THE DREAMER. "A dark, cold calm, which nothing now can break, Or warm, or brighten j like that Syrian lake, Upon whose surface Morn and Summer shed Their smiles in vain, for all beneath is dead." Heart of mine, why art thou dreaming! Dreaming through the weary day, While life's precious hours are wasting. Fast, and unimproved, away ? With a world of beauty round me. Lone and sad I dwell apart; Changing scenes can bring no pleasure To this wrecked and worn-out heart. Now I tempt the quiet Ocean While the sky is bright above, And the sunlight rests around me, Like the beaming smile of Love. (338; MARY ANN H. DODD. 339 Or by streamlet softly flowing Through the vale I wander now, And the balmy breath of Summer Fans my cheek and cools my brow, But as well, to me, might darken Over all, the gloom of night ; For no quick and sweet sensations Fill my soul with new delight. In the grass-grown silent church-yard^ With a listless step, I rove; And I shed no tear of sorrow By the graves of those I love. Could I weep the spell might vanish, Tears would bring my heart relief; Heart so sealed to all emotion. Dead alike to joy and grief. When the storm that shook my spirit Left its mission iinish'd there. Then a calm more fearful followed Than the wildness of despair. Whence the spell that chills my being, Bidding every passion cease; Closing every fount of feeling } ' Say, my spirit, is it peace } Wake, oh spell-bound soul, awaken, Bid this sad delusion flee. Such a lengthen'd dream is fearful; Such a peace is not for thee. Life is thine, and " life is earnest," Toil and grief thou canst not shun, But be hopeful and believing, Till the prize of faith is won. 340 MARYANNH.DODD. Then the peace thou shalt inherit By the Saviour promised free ; Peace the world destroyeth never,— Father, give that peace to me ! THE MOURNER. " Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." — Ma\t. v 4, Thou weepest for a sister ! In the bloom And spring-time of her years to Death a prey, Shrouded from love by the remorseless tomb, Taken from all life's joys and griefs away. 'Tis hard to part with one so sudden call'd. So young, so happy, and so dearly loved; To see the arrow at our idol hurl'd. And vainly pray the shaft may be removed. Young, loving, and beloved ! oh cruel Death ! Couldst thou not spare the treasure for a while ? There are warm hearts that wait to yield their breath. And aged eyes that can no longer smile. Why pass the weary pilgrims on their way Bov/'d dov/n with toil, and sighing for relief; To make the blossom in its pride thy prey. Whose joyous heart had never tasted grief? Sad sister, turn not hopelessly away; Nor longer at the will of heaven repine ; Fold not thy hands in agony and say " There is no sorrow in the world like mine." Oh! could my numbers soothe the sinking soul, Or one hope waken with the wreath I twine. Soft sounds of sympathy should round thee roll Warm from a heart that knows such pain as thine! MARY ANN H. DODD. 341 I too, have been a mourner. Sorrow deep Its lava-tide around my pathway roll'd; And sable weeds a hue could never keep, Sad as the heart they hid beneath their fold. All joy grew dim before my tearful eye, Which but the shadow of the grave could see ; There was no brightness in the earth or sky, There was no sunshine in the world for me. Oh! bitter was the draught from sorrow's cup, And stern the anguish which my spirit wrung, When T was calPd to give my idol up, And bend a mourner o'er the loved and young And for the lost to v/eep is still my choice \ I ask for one whose pilgrimage is o'er, And vainly listen for a vanish'd voice, Whose pleasant tones shall greet my ear no more.. There is a spell around my spirit cast, A shadow v/here the sunbeam smiled before ; 'Tis grief, but all its bitterness is past; 'Tis sorrow, but its murmurings are o'er. Within my soul, which to the storm was bow'd, Now the white wing of Peace is folded deep ; And I have found, I trust, behind the cloud. The blessing promised to the eyes that weep, So thou wilt find relief. For deepest woe A fount of healing in our pathway springs ; Like Lethe's stream, that silver fountain's flow A soothing draught unto the sufferer brings A Father chastened thee ! oh, look to Him, And his dear love in all thy trials see; Look with the eye of faith through sliadows dim. And hs will send " the Comforter " to thee. 29* MARY E. HEWITT. Mary Elizabeth Moore was born in Maiden, Massachusetts, a niral village not far from Boston. Her father was a farmer, a man of cultivation and refinement. Her mother (a descendant of an old and honourable family in Kent, England,) was left a widow at an early age ; and, that she might have better advantages for the education of her children, immediately removed to Boston. In this city Miss Moore resided until her marriage with Mr. James L. Hewitt of New York, (well-known as an extensive publisher of music,) which has been her home ever since. In 1846, a selection of her poems was published, under the title of Songs of our Land, an elegant little book containing many choice strains of genuine poetry. For several years Mrs. Hewitt has contributed to the periodical literature of the day. Her thoughts are lofty and majestic; her taste correct and classic; her utterance always clear an# strong, yet delicately sweet. The following poems are a fair specimen of her talent, and show that her chief character- istic is a concentrated intensity of passion. LAMENT OP JOSEPHINE. "They parted as all lovers part — She with her wrong'd and breaking heart; But he, rejoicing he is free, Bounds like the captive from his chain, And wilfully believing she Hath found her liberty again." — L, E. L. The Empress! — what's to me the empty name! This regal state — this glittering pageant-life .'' A tinselPd cheat ! — Am I not crown'd with shame ? Shorn of my glorious name, Napoleon's Wife ! Set with a bauble here to play my part, And shrcud with veil of pomp my breaking heart. (342) MARY E . HEWITT. 343 ""T is mockery ! — thought is with the days ere thou, Seeking the world's love, unto mine grew cold — Ere yet the diadem entwined my brow. Tightening around my brain its serpent fold' — When each quick life-pulse throbbed, unschooPd of art, When my wide empire was Napoleon's heart! My spirit quails before this loneliness — Why did no warning thought within me rise. Telling thy hand would stay its fond caress To wreathe the victim for the sacrifice ! That joy, the dove so to my bosom prest. Would change to this keen vulture at my breast! Parted forever! — who hath dared make twain Those He hath join'd ? — the nation's mighty voice! And thou hast bounded forward from thy chain, Like the freed captive, — therefore, heart! rejoice Above the aslies of thy hopes, that he Hath o'er their ruin leapt to liberty ! ALONE. "Scul, chercliant dans Tespace un point qui me reponde." There lies a deep and sealed well Within yon leafy forest hid; WHiose pent and lonely waters swell. Its confines chill and drear amid. It hears the birds on every spray Thrill forth melodious notes of love; It feels the warm sun's seldom ray Glance on the stone its wave above. 344 MARY E. HEWITT. And quick the gladden'd waters rush Tumultuous upward to the brink; A seal is on their joyous gush, And back, repressed, they coldly shrink. Thus in their cavern'd space, apart, Closed from the eye of day, they dwell- So, prison'd deep within my heart. The tides of quick affection swell. Each kindly glance — ea'ch kindly tone, To joy its' swift pulsations sway ; But none may lift the veiling stone, And give the franchised current way. Smite THOU the rock, whose eye alone The hidden spring within may see; And bid the flood, resistless One! Flow forth, rejoicing, unto thee. BLESS THEE. 1 MAY not break the holy spell Thy beauty wove around me, Till time shall loose the silver cord That long to earth hath bound me. I see thee smile on loftier ones. And mark the proud caress thee ; Yet when my lips would -ope to curse, They never fail to bless thee. One memory round me everywhere, One task in silence set me — The ever, ever thinking on, And striving to forget thee. MARY E. HEWITT. 345 And though the ever-goadmg thought To madness thus oppress me, I may not curse — I cannot hate — My heart still whispers, "Bless thee!" THE LAST CHANT OF C O R I N N E . By that mysterious sympathy which chaineth For evermore my spirit unto thine; And by the memory, that alone remaineth. Of that sweet hope that now no more is mine , And by the love my trembling heart betrayeth, That, born of thy soft gaze, within me lies ; As the lone desert bird, the Arab sayeth. Warms her young brood to life with her fond eyes. Hear me, adored one ! though the world divide us. Though never more my hand in thine be prest. Though to commingle thought be here denied us. Till our high hearts shall beat themselves to rest ; Forget me not I forget me not ! oh ! ever This one, one prayer, my spirit pours to thee ; Till every memory from earth shall sever. Remember, oh, beloved ! remember me ! And when the light within my eye is shaded, When I, o'er-wearied, sleep the sleep profound, And, like that nymph of yore, who droop'd and faded, And pined for love, till she became a sound ; My song, perchance, awhile to earth remaining, Shall come in murmui'd melody to thee ; Then let my lyre's deep, passionate complaining, Cry to thy heart, beloved ! remember me ^ 346 MARY E. HEWITT. GREEN PLACES IN THE C I T F. Ye fill my heart with gladness, verdant places, That 'mid the City greet me, where I pass; Methinks I see of angel-steps the traces, Where'er upon my pathway springs the grass. I pause before your gates at early morning, When lies the sward with glittering sheen o'erspread , And think the dew-drops there each blade adorning, Are angel's tears for mortal frailty shed. And ye — earth's firstlings — here in beauty springing. Erst in your cells by careful winter nursed — And to the morning heaven your incense flinging. As at His smile ye forth in gladness burst — How do ye cheer with hope my lonely hour, When on my way I tread despondingly ; With thought that He who careth for the flower. Will, in His mercy, still remember me. Breath of our nostrils — Thou! whose love embraces — Whose light shall never from our souls depart, Beneath thy touch hath sprung a green oasis Amid the arid desert of my heart. Thy sun and rain call forth the bud of promise. And with fresh leaves in spring time deck the tree; That where man's hand hath shut out nature from us. We, by these glimpses, may remember Thee ! the ocean-tide to the rivulet My voice is hoarse with calling to the deep, While, as I bore m^e on with measured sweep To where beneath the jutting cape I rest,' The warring night-winds smote upon my way, ' And the fierce lightnings join'd in wild affray. And hurl'd their fiery javelins at my breast. JM A R Y E . H E VV I T T . 34 / Night — and abroad there moves no living thing! Sunk on her nest the sea-gull folds her vising, The bearded goat hath left the cliff on high,— Of thy fair feet the parch'd sand bears no trace— - Beloved ! I wait thee at our meeting place, ' I call, but echo gives alone reply. To what far thicket have thy light steps w^on ? Shunning the rude gaze of the amorous sun, In what dark fountain doth thy sweetness hide ? JSTo star shines through the rift in yonder sky — None may behold thee where thou wanderest by — Bound from thy lurking forth my woodland bride' Sadly the flowers their faded petals close, Where on thy banks they languidly repose, Waiting in vain to hear thee onward press; And pale Narcissus by thy margin side Hath lingered for thy coming, droop'd, and died, Pining for thee, amid the loneliness. Hasten, beloved ! here, 'neath the o'erhanging rock, — Hark! from the deep my anxious hope to mock, They call me backward to my parent main, — Brighter than Thetis thou! and how more fleet — I hear the rushing of thy fair, white feet, Joy! — joy! — my breast receives its own again! THE PRAYER OF A THIRSTING HEART "Give me a blessing. Thou hast given me a south land; give tn*" nlso springs of water." — Judges, i. 15. Thou unto whom my cry ascends in anguish. Where couch'd among the flowers I pining lie , Behold, how 'mid their odorous scents I languish — Hear my prayer ! Hear ! and answer, or I die ! 348 MARYE. HEWITT. Within the land thou giv'st me to inherit, Where evermore the fragrant South wind blows. I dwell with heart of flame and thirsting spirit — For here no well of cooling water flows. Where the sweet rills through earth's deep veins are flowir.g, The lily at some hidden spring is nursed ; On its frail stem the asphodel is blowing, While I, thy child, I perish here of thirst! Thou who, when pale affliction's sons and daughters Came to Bethesda's healing font to lave. Saw where they watch'd beside th» silent waters. And sent an. angel down to touch the wave — Thou who, when wandering Israel, parched and d3''ing. Unto the prophet cried in sore distress. Heard, and in mercy to their plaint replying, Bade the flood gush amid the wilderness — Hear me! To Thee my soul in suppliance turneth, Like the lorn pilgrim on the sands accursed; For life's sweet waters, God ! my spirit yearneth — ' Give me to drink ! I perish here of thirst ! MIDNIGHT ON MARATHON. (A GREEK SUPERSTITION.) When midnight to the peasant yields The meed from labour won, 'Tis said the sleeping legions rise On storied Marathon. Their banner, with its sacred bird Flung proudly to the sky, Pown sweeps again the Athenian host, To conquer, or to die. MARY E. HEWITT. 349 Again the air-forged falchion cleaves The turban of the Mede, And sinks beneath the shadowy spear The Persian and his steed. Amid the pale, contending hosts The watcher may behold The shade of Theseus lead the fight. As on that day of old * The rush of spectral war is heard, And clearly on the breeze Comes from the fiercely-charging "band Tlie cry, "Miltiades!" Where'er that glorious shape appears, Wherever sounds that cry, Again the phantom cohorts reel. Again they turn and fly. They fly, as from that field of gore The smitten Asian fled; And Marathon lies calm once more. Above her silent dead. And thou, when darkness o'er thee lies. And fears to being start; And strong conflicting memories rise From that deep grave, the heart — Oh Soul! appalPd with doubt and dread, How would all terrors fly, Were Faith thy leader in the fight. And ''Christ" thy battle-cry? * "It was an ancient superstition, not uncharacteristic of that imagina tivo people, that many of them (at the battle of Marathon) fancied they beheld the gigantic shade of their ancestral Theseus, completely armed and bearing down before them upon the foe." — Athens : Its Mise and Fall 30 ANNA PEYRE DINNIES Is a native of Georgetown, South Carolina. Her father, Judge Shackleford, removed to Charleston when she was very young, and there she was educated at an excellent seminary kept by the daughters of Dr. David Ramsay. In May, 1830, she was mar- ried to Mr. John C. Dinnies, and went to St. Louis, Missouri, where she resided until about two years ago, when her husband removed to Nev/ Orleans. Fev/, if any, of her poems were published before her marriage; but since that event, she has written much for various annuals and magazines, under the name of Moina. Some of her best stories have appeared in the Lady's Book, (edited by Mrs. Hale,) and in the Southern Literary Messenger. In 1845, Mrs. Dinnies published a handsome volume of poetry, called The Floral Year, which is beau- tifully illustrated, and contains many bright blossoms of fancy, and many everlasting flowers of pure and earnest feeling. It is from the heart she gains her strongest inspiration ; and when the holy affection living there breathes itself out in fervent lays, as if urged by a strong neces- sity, there is a simple pathos in the music of her lyre that awakens an immediate sympathy. There is also a spirit of cheerfuJness and hope about her poems that makes them very refreshing; a tone of quiet con- tent that seems to indicate a mind at peace with itself, with the world, End with God. • HAPPINESS. Happiness is of the heart, and it is the mind that gives its tone and colouring to nature. There is a spell in every flower — A sweetness in each spray, And evpry simple bird has power To please me with its lay ! ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. 351 And there is music on each breeze That sports along the glade; ' The crystal dew-drops on the trees Are gems, by Fancy made. There 's gladness too in' every thing, And beauty over all, For everywhere comes on, with Spring, A charm which cannot pall! And I! — my heart is full of joy, And gratitude is there. That He, who might my life destroy. Has yet vouchsafed to spare. The friends I once condemn'd, are now Affectionate and true; I wept a pledged one's broken vow — But he proves faithful too. And now there is a happiness In every thing I see, Which bids my soul rise up and bless The God who ])lesses me. LINES 6DEKESSED TO A WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUM, PRESENT ET If THE WRITER IN DECEMBER. Fair gift of friendship, and her ever bright And faultless image ! Welcome now thou art In thy pure loveliness, thy robes of white Speaking a moral to the feeling heart ; Unscathed by heat, by wintry blasts unmoved. Thy strength thus tested, and thy charms improved. 352 ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. Emblem of imiocence, wliich fearless braves Life's dreariest scenes, its rudest storm derides. And floats as calmly on o'er troubled waves As where the peaceful streamlet smoothly glides Thou'rt blooming now as beautiful and clear As other blossoms do,' when spring is liere. Symbol of hope, still banishing the gloom Hung o'er the mind by stern December's reign ! Thou cheer'st the fancy by thy steady bloom With thoughts of summer and the fertile plain, Calling a thousand visions into play. Of beauty redolent and bright as May. . Type of a true and holy love ; the same Through every scene that crowds life's varied page, 'Mid grief, 'mid gladness, spell of every dream. Tender in youth, and strong in feeble age ! The peerless picture of a modest wife. Thou bloom'st the fairest 'mid the frosts of life. THE WIFE. "She flung her white arms- around him — Thou art all That this poor heart can cling to," I COULD have stemm'd misfortune's tide, And borne the rich one's sneer, Have braved the haughty glance of pride, Nor shed a single tear. [ could have smiled on every blow From Life's full quiver thrown. While I might gaze on thee, and know 1 should not be "alone." I could — I think I could have brook'd E'en for a time, that thou ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. 353 Upon my fading face liadst look'd With less of love than now ; For then I should at least have felt The sweet hope still my ow^n, To win thee back, and, whilst I dwelt On earth, not been "alone." But thus to see, from day to day, Thy brightening eye and cheek. And watch thy life-sands waste away Unnumber'd, slowly, meek; To meet thy smiles of tenderness, And catch the feeble tone Of kindness, ever breathed to bless, And feel, Til be "alone;" To mark thy strength each hour decay, And yet thy hopes grow stronger. As, filPd with heavenward trust, they say, "Earth may not claim thee longer;" jN'ay, dearest, 'tis too much — this heart Must break. when thou art gone: It must not be; we may not part; I could not live "alone!" WEDDED LOVE. Come, rouse thee, dearest! — 'tis not Veil To let the spirit brood Thus darkly o^'er the cares that swell Life's current to a flood. As* brooks, and torrents, rivers, all. Increase the gulf in which they fall. Such thoughts, by gathering up the rills Of lesser griefs, spread real ills, 30* X ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. And with their gloomy shades conceal The landmarks Hope would else reveal. Come, rouse thee, now — I know thy mind, And would its strength awaken *, Proud, gifted, noble, ardent, kind — Strange thou shouldst be thus shaken! But rouse afresh each energy. And be what Heaven intended thee; Throw from thy thoughts this wearying weight, And prove thy spirit firmly great : I would not see thee bend below The angry storms of earthly woe. Full well I know the generous soul Which warms thee into life, Each spring which can its powers control, Familiar to thy Wife — For deem'st thou she had stoop'd to bind Her fate unto a common mind? Tlie eagle-like ambition, nursed From childhood in her heart, had first Consumed, with its Promethean flame, The shrine — than sunk her so to shame. Then rouse thee, dearest, from the dream That fetters now thy powers : ■> Shake off this gloom — Hope sheds a beam To gild each cloud which lowers ; And though at present seems so far The wished-for goal — a guiding star. With peaceful ray, would light thee on, Until its utmost bounds be won : That quenchless ray thou 'It ever prove, In fond, undying. Wedded Love. ANNA P E Y R E D I N N I E S . JO MY husband's first GRAY HAIR. "I know thee not — I loathe thy race ; But in thy lineaments I trace What time shall strengthen — not efface." Giaour. Thou strange, unbidden guest! from whence Thus early hast thou come ? And wherefore ? Rude intruder, hence . And seek some fitter home! Thes? rich young locks are all too dear — Indeed thou must not linger here! Go! take thy sober aspect where -The youthful cheek is fading. Or find some furrow'd brow, which Care And Passion have been shading; And add thy sad malignant trace. To mar the aged or anguish'd face ! Thou wilt not go? Then answer me. And tell what brought thee here ? Not one of all thy tribe I see Beside thyself appear. And, through these bright and clustering curlg Thou shinest, a tiny thread of pearls. Thou art a m.oralist ? ah, well! And comest from Wisdom's land, A few sage axioms just to tell ? Well ! well ! I understand — Old Truth hath sent thee here to bear The maxims v/hich we fain must hear. And now, as I observe thee nearer, Thou'rt pretty — very pretty — quite As glossy and as fair — nay fairer Than these, but not sa bright; 355 S56 ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. And since thou came Truth's messenger^ Thou shalt remam and speak of her. She says thou art a herald sent In kind and friendly warning, To mix with locks by beauty blent, (The fair young brow adorning,) And 'midst their wild luxuriance taught To show thyself, and waken thought. « That thought, which to the dreamer preaches A lesson stern as true, That all things pass away, and teaches How youth must vanish too! And thou wert sent to rouse anew This thought, whene'er thou meet'st the view. And comes there not a whispering sound, A low, faint, murmuring breath. Which, as thou movest, floats around Like echoes in their death? " Time onward sweeps, youth flies, prepare" — Such is thine errand, . First Gray Hair. HO PE. Jn life's young morn, with buds and flowers, Hope, smiling nymph, appears, And sings, to charm our opening hours, A thousand siren airs. And though her fairy buds decay. And soon her flow'rets fall; She lures us on from day to day, With strains that never pall. ANNA PEYRE DINNIES. 357 She hovers o'er the darkest cloud That life's sad pathway shades, And e'en when tempests rage most loud, Her voice the storm pervades. She lights our gloom — she soothes our care - — She bids our fears depart. Transforms to gems each grief-fraught tear. And binds the broken heart. She glances o'er us from above. The brightest star that's given. And guides us still through faith and love. To endless peace in Heaven! LINES. (written after seeing macready in virginius And I have seen thee, gifted one! at last! Thy spirit-stirring accents — they have come Like some remember'd melody, long past. Calling up fancies of my childhood's home ; And speaking to my heart in tones that seem The clear familiar whisperings of a dream ! For thou hast been to me a dream! thy name A spell round which my fancy fondly clung Since the first echo of its deathless fame. Like far-off music, on my ear was flung — And I have ponder'd o'er thy pov/er, till thought Giew faint with all the wonders it hath wrought 358 ELIZABETH F. ELLET. And I have dream'd that it should yet be mme To sit entranced beneath thy wizard skill, And see thee wield that mystic gift divine Which held each heart a captive to thy will; While by its aid the intellectual realm Obey'd thy impulse as a ship its helm. Yes! thou hast been to me a dream — and lo! Its bright fulfilment in the prairied West! For though Time's pinion may have touch'd thy broAV, The gem within defies his withering test ! Genius triumphant! Glorious Prince of Art! Still is thine empire own'd in every heart! ELIZABETH F. ELLET. The father of this distinguished lady, Dr. William N. Lummis of New Jersey, was a physician, a man of talent and scholarship, and the pTipil and friend of that eminent physician and good man. Doctor Ben- jamin Rush. Her mother is a niece of General Maxwell, noted for his services in the Revohitionary war. Dr. Lummis soon relinquished the practice of medicine, and settled on his estate near Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario, where the subject of this sketch was born. The beau- tiful scenery — "the woodlands gay, and waters sparkling clear,"— of her childhood's home, she has celebrated in one of her sweet- est strains. She was married very young to Dr. Ellet, and re- moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where her husband (who had previously occupied the chair of Chemistry in Columbia College, New York,) was elected to the professorship of Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Geology, in the South Carolina College. Soon after her marriage, Mrs. Ellet published a volume of Poems, Translaled and Original, with a iragedy called Teresa Contarini, which was successfully performea 1 1 ELIZABETH F. ELLET. .359 New York and other cities. Her next work was The Characters of Schiller ,• which was quickly followed by a volume of interesting- his- torical sketches, called Scenes in the Life of Joanna of Sicily. After these, appeared her Country Rambles ; in which she has painted with ".n artist's hand and lover's eye, some of the most beautiful scenes of her native land. She lately published a v/orkon The Women of the Revo- lution^ the materials for which are chiefly drawn from private papera in the possession of various families, and from their personal recollec- lections. Mrs. EUet is a superior linguist; and (as her numerous and excellent translations testify,) has an extensive acquaintance with the literature of Italy, France, Germany, and some of the more northerly nations of Europe. She is a writer of great research, of equal skill and industry ; and her prose articles in the American Quarterly, and New York Review, are characterized by their learning and good taste. As a poet Mrs. Ellet is elevated, tranquil, and reflective. Her versi- fication is smooth, and her epithets well-chosen and expressive. That faculty of accurate observation, which is one of the first requisites for the production of poetry, whether it acts upon outward objects or upon images present 6nly to the mind, she has in a great degree. Her de- scriptive poems are natural and pleasing ; while her moral poems are always imbued with that far-reaching wisdom, taught by the grave philosopher — Experience. SU S QUE H ANNA. Softly the blended light of evening rests Upon thee, lovely stream ! Thy gentle tide. Picturing the gorgeous beauty of the sky, Onward, unbroken by the ruffling wind. Majestically flows. Oh! by thy side, Far from the tumults and the throng of men, And the vain cares that vex poor human life, ■T were happiness to dwell, alone with thee. And the wide solemn grandeur of the scene. From thy green shores, the mountains that enclose In their vast sweep the beauties of the plain, Slov/ly receding, toward the skies ascend, Enrobed with clustering woods o'er which the smile 360 ELIZABETH F. EL LET. Of Autumn in his loveliness hath pass'd, Touching their foliage with his brilliant hues, And flinging o'er the lowliest leaf and shrub His golden livery. On the distant heights "^oft clouds, earth-based, repose, and stretch afar Their burnish'd summits in the clear blue heaven, Flooded with splendour, that the dazzled eye Turns drooping from the sight. — Nature is here Like a throned sovereign, and thy voice doth tell In music never silent, of her power. Nor are thy tones unanswer'd, where she builds Such monuments of regal sway. These wide Untrodden if orests eloquently speak, Whether the breath of summer stir their depths, Or the hoarse moaning of November's blast Strip from the boughs their covering. All the air Is now instinct with life. The merry hum Of the returning bee, and the blithe song Of fluttering bird, mocking the solitude. Swell upward — and the play of dashing streams From the green mountain side is faintly heard. The wild swan swims the waters' azure breast With graceful sweep, or startled, soars away. Cleaving with mounting wing the clear bright air. Oh I in the boasted lands beyond the deep, Where Beauty hath a birth-right — where each mound And mouldering ruin tells of ages past — And every breeze, as with a spirit's tone. Doth waft the voices of Oblivion back. Waking the soul to lofty memories, Is there a scene whose loveliness could fill The heart with peace more pure ? — Nor yet art thou, Proud stream ! without thy records — graven deep E.LIZABETHF. ELLET. 36 1 On yon eternal hills, which shall endure Long as their summits breast the wint'ry storm Or smile in the warm sunshine. They have been The chroniclers of centuries gone by : Of a strange race, who trod perchance their sides, Ere these gray woods had sprouted from the earth Which now they shade. Here onward swept thy waves, When tones now silent mingled with their sound. And the wide shore was vocal with the song; Of hunter chief, or lover's gentle strain. Those pass'd away — forgotten as they pass'd ; But holier recollections dwell with thee : Here hath immortal Freedom built her proud And solemn monuments. The mighty dust Of heroes in her cause of glory fallen, Hath mingled with the soil, and hallow'd it. Thy waters in their brilliant path have seen The desperate strife that won a rescued world — The deeds of men who live in grateful hearts, And hymn'd their requiem. Far beyond this vale That sends to heaven its incense of lone flowers, Gay village spires ascend — and the glad voice Of industry is heard. — So in the lapse Of future years those ancient woods shall bow Beneath the levellmg axe — and Man's abodos Display their sylvan honours. They will pass In turn away ; — yet heedless of all change, Surviving all, thou still wilt murmur on. Lessoning the fleeting race that look on thee To mark the wrecks of time, and read their doom. 31 362 ELIZABETH F. ELLET. *' ABIDE WITH US." LuTte, xxiv, 29. " Abide with us ; the evening hour draws on ; And pleasant at the daylight's fading close The traveller's repose! And as at -morn's approach the shades are gone, Thy words, oh ! blessed stranger, have dispell'd The midnight gloom in which our souls were held. Sad were our souls, and quench'd hope's latest ray, But thou to us hast words of comfort given Of Him who came from heaven! How burn'd our hearts within us on the way. While thou the sacred scripture didst unfold, And bad'st us trust the promise given of old \ Abide with us ; let us not lose thee yet ! Lest unto us the cloud of fear return, When we are left to mourn That Israel's Hope — his better Sun — is set! Oh, teach us more of what we long to know, That new-born joy may chide our faithless woe." Thus in their sorrow the disciples pray'd, And knew not He was walking by their side Who on the cross had died! But when he broke the consecrated' bread, Then safv they who had deign'd to bless their board, And in the stranger hail'd their risen Lord. " Abide with us !" Thus the believer prays, Compass'd with doubt and bitterness and dread — When, as life from the dead. The bow of mercy breaks upon his gaze : He trusts the word, yet fears lest from his heart ^le whose discourse is peace too soon depart. ELIZABETH F. ELLET. 363 Open, thou trembling one — the portal Mdde, And to the inmost chamber of thy breast Take home the heavenly guest! He for the famish'd shall a feast provide — And thou shalt taste the bread of life, and see The Lord of angels come to sup with thee. Beloved ! who for us with care hast sought ! Say — shall we hear thy voice, and let Thee vv^ait All night before the gate — Wet with the dews — nor greet Thee as we ought? Oh ! strike the fetters from the hand of pride, And, that vv^e perish not, with us, O Lord, abide i THE DYING GIRl's BIESSAGE. "Know you what it is when anguish, with apoealyptic neteh, To a Pythian height dilates you, and despair sublimes to power?' 3Iiss Barrett The struggle 's o'er ; the coward fear is past ; Even wrong and pain must now their prey forego; And the worn heart may lift its voice at last, Strong in the majesty of cureless woe! The iron chain, so long in silence borne. Falls riven from the bosom of the slave ; And I, to thee — who gav'st the meed of scorn — Must speak once more, ere silent in the grave. Yet what reck'st thou — that words all idly spoken « Have made a life-long grief another's part } While thou, to point a jest, "hast wounded, broken, That wrong'd and fearful thing — a human heart! Could the cold sneer, the laugh of careless glee Which others — thee hov\^ far beneath! — might share, Reward thee, then, for all it heap'd on me — The wordless agony, — the long despair? 364 ELIZABETH F. ELLET. How had I sinn'd? Was it not pure from stain, That guileless offering at a noble shrine ? Did e'er a thought of ill the soul profane That in its childlike worship knelt to thine ? Or if I err'd, perchance — • oh ! human brother ! Deserved my fault the cruel penance given ? Or say if thou hast meted to another The gentle mercy all must ask of Heaven ! Hear nov/ the message I, so proud in sorrow, Speed to thy presence with my latest sigh; I — for whose sight shall dawn no coming morrow — Know but one wish to bless thee ere I die ! May all Heaven's richest gifts be shower'd upon thee, May grief ne'er harbour in that manly breast; May joy and peace, white-wing'd, with rapture, crown thee, And keep thee ever in their golden rest! Yet oh ! by all the tears mine • eyes have shed, I pray thee, shield me from unworthy blame ! Embalm my memory with the sacred dead; Unto the cold and stern breathe not my name. Like some faint, fading vision of the past. Let my veiPd image in remembrance dwell ; In mercy, be no added shadow cast On this my long, and sad, and last farewell ! SODUS BAY. I BLESS thee — native shore! Thy woodlands gay, and waters sparkling clear! 'Tis like a dream once more The music of thy thousand waves to hear! As murmuring up 'the sand. With kisses bright they lave the sloping land. ELIZABETH F. ELLET. 365 The gorgeous sun looks down^ Bathing thee gladly in his noontide ray ; And o'er thy headlands brown With loving light the tints of evening play. Thy whispering breezes fear To break the calm so softly hallow'd here.. Here, in her green domain, The stamp of Nature's sovereignty is found; With scarce disputed reign She dwells in all the solitude around. And here she loves to wear The regal garb that suits a queen so fair. Full oft my heart hath yearn'd For thy sweet shades and vales of sunny rest ! Even as the swan return'd, Stoops to reposeT upon thy azure breast, I greet each welcome spot Forsaken long — but ne'er, ah, ne'er forgot ! 'T was here that memory grew — 'T was here that childhood's hopes and cares were left *, Its early freshness too — Ere droops the soul, of her best joys bereft. Where are they? — o'er the track Of cold years, I would call the wanderers back! They must be with thee still! Thou art unchanged — as bright the sunbeams play — From not a tree or hill Hath time one hue of beauty snatch'd away. Unchanged alike should be The blessed things so late resign'd to thee! 31* S66 ELIZABETH F. ELLET Give back, oh, smiling deep! TJie heart's fair sunshine, and the dreams of youth That in thy bosom sleep — Life's April innocence, and trustful truth! The tones that breathed of yore In thy lone murmurs, once again restore! Where have they vanish'd all ? — Only the heedless winds in answer sigh — Still rushing at thy call. With reckless sweep the streamlet flashes by! And idle as the air. Or fleeting stream, my soul's insatiate prayer Home of sweet thoughts — farewell! Where'er through changeful life my lot- may be, A deep and hallow 'd spell Is on thy waters and thy woods for me ! Though vainly fancy craves Its childhood with the music of thy waves LINES. "Forgetting those things which are behind," — Phil. iii. 13. Look not upon the past — the mournful past. In its stem grasp the joys and hopes of youth — The forms that smiled upon us, wreath'd with light Then beaming from the morning sky of life — Are held : — the forms to which affection clung ; Towards which the lone and stricken spirit yearns ; And the grim gaoler v/ill not let them go! Far off and dimly seen, like buried wealth In cold dark ocean caves — the treasures lie. While o'er them rolls th' impenetrable deep, And its hoarse murmur wails the ever lost. ELIZABETH F. ELLET. 3(37 Look not upon the past — the bitter past. Its spectral pageants haunt thee ! — Darkly there Gathers a throng, from whose pursuing gaze Thou fain would'st turn away. The hours misspen!. — The wasted energies — the gifts abused — The feelings wrong'd — -the blighted hopes — stand iliere. The sins thou deemedst trivial, and the world DeemM virtues haply, tower to giant height. And flout thee with their scorn. The hidden crimes Cast off their mask, and fill thee with affright. Time, that relentless creditor, there stands, Presenting his account, and bidding thee Tremble at his dread records, and prepare The reckoning to abide. Look not upon The past — the gloomy past. 'T is stoled in grief. 'Tis the domain of evil — dark and sad To human eyes, — the mournful prison-house" Of human woes and errors. There, too, broods The cloud of wrath divine. Thou may''st forget — Is the kind sentence Heaven writes out for man. Forget thy years of folly — years of crime. Lo, the unstained future ! 't is thine ov/n, With ail its glorious aims, its boundless hopes ; And thou may'st claim this bright inheritance Free from all hindrance — so the eye of faith Be fix'd on Him who was content to bear For thee the shame and sorrow of the past. THE WAVES THAT ON THE SPARKLI^TG SAlll}. The waves that on the sparkling sand Their foaming crests upheave. Lightly receding from the land, Seem not a trace to leave. 368 ELIZABETH F. ELLET. Those billows in their ceaseless play Have worn the solid rocks away. The summer winds, which wandering sigh Amid the forest bower, So gently as they murmur by, « Scarce lift the drooping flower. Yet bear they, in autumnal gloom. Spring's wither'd beauties to the tomb. Thus worldly cares, though lightly borne, Their impress leave behind ; And spirits, which their bonds would spurn, The blighting traces find. 'Till alter'd thoughts and hearts grown cold, The change of passing years unfold. rUE CLOUD WHERE SUNBEAMS. SOFT REPOSE The cloud where sunbeams soft repose. Gilt by the changeful ray, With tints still warm and golden, glows, When they have pass'd away. The stream that in its billowy sweep Bursts from the mountain side. Bears far into the calm blue deep Its swift and freshening tide. Thus youthful joys our hearts can thrill, Though life has lost its bloom ; And sorrow's hours of darkness still With lingering charms illume. ELIZABETH F . ELLET. 369 LIKE SOUTHERN BIRDS. Like southern birds, Avhose wings of light Are cold and hueless while at rest— ■ But spread to soar in upward flight, Appear in glorious plumage drest; The poet's soul — while darkly close Its pinions, bids no passion glow ; But roused at length from dull repose. Lights, while it spurns, the world below. o'er the far mountain peak on hig O'er the far mountain peak on high First shines the morning's ray ; And latest from the crimson'd sky The beam of parting day. Yet there, to greet the partial light, ISTor flowers nor verdure bloom ; But barren all — though coldly bright — And cheerless as the tomb. While, in the modest vale's recess. Where sunlight scarce descends. Fresh flowerets spring the beam to bless. And grateful foliage bends. Thus hearts that bask in fortune's smile, Undimm'd by clouds of care. Feel not the joys their hours beguile Which humbler bosoms share. Y six) ELIZABETH F. ELLET. S ONNE T. Shepherd, with meek brow wreathed with blossoms sweot Who guard'st thy timid flock with tenderest care — Who guid'st in sunny paths their wandering feet, — And the young lambs dost in thy bosom bear; — Who lead'st thy happy flock to pastures fair. And by still waters at the noon of day — Charming with lute divine the silent air, What time they linger on the verdant w^ay ', — Good Shepherd ! might one gentle distant strain Of that immortal melody sink deep Into my heart, and pierce its careless sleep, And melt by powerful love its sevenfold chain — Oh ! then my soul thy voice should know, and flee To mingle with thy flock, and ever follow Thee ! S ONNE T. O WEARY heart, there is a rest for thee ! O truant heart — there is a blessed home, An isle of gladness on life's wayward sea. Where storms, that vex the waters, never come. There trees perennial yield their balmy shade. There flower-wreath'd hills in sunlit beauty sleep ; There meek streams murmur through the verdant glade There heaven bends smiling o'er the placid deep. Winnow'd by wings immortal that fair isle; Vocal its air with music from above; There meets the exile eye a w^elcoming smile; There ever speaks a summoning voice of love Unto the heavy-laden and distressed, — ^^ Come unto me, and I will give you rest." MAEY N. M'DONALD. Mrs. M'Donald* is a daughter of the late Leonard A. Bleecker, Esq.^ £f New York, where she was born, and a grandaughter of the late Ma- jor William Popham, a well-known revolutionary officer. Her father left the city when she was very young, and many of her earlier years were spent in West Chester County ; where, amidst its quiet woodland scenery, her poeticjii tastes first developed themselves. When quite a little child, she was possessed with a desire for literary distinction ; and the most earnest wish of her heart was for "a whole quire of white pa- per." The artless ambition, however, that charmed her childhood, vanished as she grew up, frightened, no doubt, at a glimpse of that fame in the distance it had so innocently wished to attract. On Miss Bleecker's return to the city, some of her poetical effusions were published by a friend, in the New York Mirror ; and gained so much approbation, that she continued to write for that and other period- icals several years, under the signature of M. N. M. She was married in 1834 to Pierre E. F. M'Donald, Esq. ; and her married life, which was singularly unclouded and happy, (a sure sign that ambition had left her ; because, if a thirst for fame and a yearning for love live together in a woman's heart, they will kindle strife,) continued till April, 1844. After her husband's death, she became by necessity, not choice, an authoress, and published a volume entitled Poems by M. N. M, in 1845. Two small volumes of interesting juvenile stories, called Cousin Bertha's Tales for Children, subsequently appeared. She contributes constantly to The Columbian, The Ladies' Wreath, and other magazines. Her prose writings are remarkable for their ease, refinement, and playful simplicity ; while her poems, of which the following are a fair speci- men, are musical, graceful, and sweet. JUNE. Laughingly thou comest Rosy June, With thy light and tripping feet, And thy garlands fresh and sweet. Now Mrs. Henry Meijrs of New York. (371) 372 ' M A R Y N . And thy waters all in tune; With thy gift of buds and bells, For the uplands and the dells, With the wild-bird and the bee, On the blossom or the tree. And my heart leaps forth to meet thee, With a joyous thrill to greet thee Rosy June, And I love the flashing ray Of the rivulets at play. As they sparkle into day, Rosy June! Most lovely do I call thee. Laughing June! For thy skies are bright and blue, As a sapphire's brilliant hue. And the heats of Summer noon, Made cooler by thy breath — O'er the clover-scented heath, Which the scythe must sweep so soon . And thou fan'st the fever'd cheek With thy softest gales of balm. Till the pulse so low and weak, Beateth stronger and more calm. ■ Kind physician, thou dost lend Like a tried and faithful friend. To the suffering and the weary, every blessing thou canst bring, By the sick man's couch of pain, Like an angel, once again Thou hast shed a gift of healing, from the perfume-laden wing. And the student's listless ear. As a dreamy sound and dear, Hath caugh* a pleasant murmur of the insect's busy hum, Where arching branches meet O'er the turf beneath his feet, MARY N. m'dONALD. 373 And a thousand Summer fancies, with the melody liave come ; And he turneth from the page Of the prophet or the sage, And forgetteth all the wisdom of his hooks ; For his heart is roving free With the butterfly and bee. And chimeth with the music of the brooks. Singing still their merry tune. In the flashing light of noon. One chord of thy sweet lyfe, laughing June ! I have heart-aches many a one, Rosy June! And I sometimes long to fly To a world of love and light. Where the flowerets never die, Nor the day gives place to night ; Where the weariness and pain Of this mortal life are o'er, And we fondly clasp again All the loved ones gone before. And I think, to lay my head On some green and shelter'd bed, Where, at dawning or at noon, Come the birds with liquid note In each tender warbling throat. Or the breeze, with mournful tune, To sigh above my grave — Would be all that I should crave Rosy June ! But when thou art o'er the earth. With thy blue and tranquil skies, And thy gushing melodies, And thy many tones of mirth — 32 374 MARYN. m'dONALD. When thy flowers perfume the air, And thy garlands wreath the bough, And my birth-place, even now Seems an Eden bright and fair — How my spirit shrinks away From the darkness of the tomb, And I shudder at its gloom While so beautiful the day. Yet I know the skies are bright, In that land of love and light, Brighter, fairer than thine own, lovely June, No shadow dims the ray, No night obscures the day. But ever, ever reigneth, high eternal noon. A glimpse thou art of heaven Lovely June ! Type of a purer clime Beyond the flight of time. Where the amaranth flovirers are rife By the placid stream of life. For ever gently flowing. Where the beauty of the rose In that land of soft repose. Nor blight, nor fading knows. In immortal fragrance blowing. And my prayer is still to see. In thy blessed ministry, A transient gleam of regions that are all divinely fair; A foretaste ot the bliss In a holier world than this. And a place beside the loved ones, who are safely gather'd there MARY N. MCDONALD. 375 TO LIZZIE. And all hearts do pray, "God love her!" Ay, in certes, in good sooth, We may be all sure He doth. Miss Barren . There 's a charm about thee, Lizzie, That I cannot well define. And I sometimes think it lieth In that soft blue eye of thine ; And yet, though pleasant is thine eye, And beautiful thy lip — As a rose-leaf bathed in honey dews, W A bee might love to sip, — Yet I think it is nor lip, nor eye. Which binds me with its spell; But a something dearer far than these. Though undefinable. When I meet thee, dearest Lizzie, When I hear thy gentle tone, When my "hand is press'd so tenderly, So warmly in thine own; Why then I think it is thy voice, Whose music like a bird's. Can soothe me with the melody Of sweetly-spoken words : Perchance the pressure of thy hand This hidden charm may be — Or the magic, Lizzie, of a sigh That lures my heart to thee. Perchance it is thy gentleness, Perchance thy winning smile, Which lurketh in such dimples. As might easily beguile; 376 MARY N., m'doNALL*. Or perchance the music of thy laugh Hath a bewildering flow — Yet I cannot tell, my Lizzie, If it be thy laugh or no ; For mirth as musical as thine Hath met my ear before. But its memory faded from my heart When once the strain was o'er. Oh ! for the wand of fairy To dissolve the withering spell, And teach me, dearest Lizzie, What it is I love so well. Thy simple truth and earnestness, Perchance it may be this, Or the gentle kindness breathing In thy morn or evening kiss — Thy caret for others' weal or wo. Thy quickly springing tears — Or, at times, a quiet though tfulness, Unmeet for thy brief years. Well, be it either look or tone, Or smile, or soft caress, I know not, Lizzie, yet I feel I could not love thee less. And something happy there may be, "Like light within a vase," Which, from the soul-depths gleaming foi'th^ Flings o'er thee such a grace. Perchance, the hidden charm I seek, That words may not impart, Is but the warm affections Of a kind and. loving heart. MARY N. m'dONALD. 377 THE SPELLS OF MEMORY. [t was but the note of a summer bird, But a dream of the past in my heart it stirr'd, And wafted me far to a breezy spot, Where blossom'd the blue forget-me-not. And the broad green boughs gave a checker'd gleam To the dancing waves of a mountain stream, And there, in the heat of a summer day. Again on the velvet turf I lay, And saw bright shapes in the floating clouds. And rear'd faip domes, '.mid their fleecy shrouds. As I look'd aloft to the azure sky. And long'd for a bird's soft plumes to fly, Till lost in its depths of purity. Alas ! I have waked from that early dream. Far, far away is the mountain stream. And the dewy turf, where so oft I lay. And the woodland flowers, they are far away. And the skies that once were to me so blue, Now bend above with a darker hue, And yet I may wander in fancy back At memory's call to my childhood's track : And the fount of thought hath been deeply stirr'd By the passing note of a summer bird. It was but the rush of the autumn v/ind, But it left a spell of the past behind. And I was abroad with my brothers twain In the tangled paths of the wood again : Where the leaves were rustling beneath our feet, And the merry shout of our gleesome mood Was echoed far in the solitude. As we caught the prize which a kindly breeze Sent down in a shower from the chesnut trees. 32* 378 MARY N Oh ! a weary time hath pass'd away Since my brothers were out by my side at play, A weary time, with its weight of care, And its toil in the city's crowded air — And its pining wish for the hill-tops high — For the laughing stream and the clear blue sky-— For the shaded dell, and the leafy halls Of the old green wofsd where the sunlight falls. But T see the haunts of my early days. The old green wood where the sunshine plays, And the flashing stream in its course of light, — And the hill-tops high, and the skies so bright, — And the silent depths of the shaded Sell, Where the twilight shadows at noonday fell, — And the mighty charm which hath conquered these Is nought, save a rush of the autumn breeze. It was but a violet's faint perfume. But it bore me back to a quiet room. Where a gentle girl in the spring-time gay. Was breathing her fair young life away. Whose light through the rose-hued curtains fell, And tinted her cheek like the ocean-shell, And the southern breeze on its fragrant wings Stole in Avith its tale of all lovely things. Where love watch'd on through the long, long hours, And friendship came with its gift of flov/ers ; And death dvew near with a stealthy tread, And lightly pilloA^d in dust her head. And seaPd up gently the lids so fair. And damp'd the brow with its clustering hair, And left the maiden in slumber deep, To waken no more from that tranquil sleep. Then we laid the flower her hand had prest, To wither and die on her gentle breast; And back to the shade of that quiet room I go with the violet's faint perfume. MARY N. m'dONALD. 379 THE LITTLE BIRD THAT TOLD THE SECRET So I've heard your secret, Mabel, I've heard it, my little maid, And you're going to do a silly thing I am very much afraid.^ You 're going to marry the miller. And live beside the mill! But the miller, they say, is an idle man, And often his wheel stands still. And they say he is growing careless, And spends the livelong day In gazing over the shining stream At a cottage across the way. And they say he is wild and wilful,— So prithee, my Mabel, dear. Don't give your hand to the miller, If all is true that I hear. Who says he is idle, Bessie ? And wild and Vv^ilful, too ? If ever it come to the miller's ears. They may find it cause to rue. And who told you this mighty secret? You need not think 't is so ; A body may walk with a quiet man, Yet never to church may go. I should like to see the lassie Who told you the silly jest; As if I would part with my secret. For a ring and a wedding vest. 380 MARY N You need not deny it, Mabel, 'Twas a little bird who came But now with the wondrous story, And told unto me the same. I mark'd the gleam of his crimson breast, As he flitted across your cheek; And the rapid flash of his darting wing In your eye, when you did speak. You 're dreaming, Bessie, you 're dreaming, No talking birds have we ; And I Avould not whisper the matter, I 'm sure, to a bird on the tree ; And never a wing came flitting Across my cheek or eye — So, Bessie, you must be dreaming, With all this mystery. Ah ! Mabel ; you may dissemble With duller folks, I ween. But you cannot still the music Of the little bird I mean. He hath his nest in your gentle breast, And a tell-tale bird is lie. For I mark'd the flush of his crimson coat On your cheek too easily. And when I told you the miller Was a wild and wilful man. The bird flew out at your flashing eye As only a fairy can. And I knew, by your hasty speaking In such an earnest way. That you cared for the honest miller Much more than you choose to say. FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 381 So what I but guess'd, my Mabel, The bird hath told at will, That you're going to marry the miller, And live beside the mill. FRANCES S. OSGOOD. Mrs. Osgood is a native of Boston. Her father, a merchant of the name of Locke, was a man of taste, education, and true poetical sensibilities. She was chiefly instructed at home ; her step-sister, the accomplished Mrs. Wells, (whose poems we have noticed in a former part of this volume,) acting the part of friend, guide, and governess, with equal kindness and ability. Genius was quickly dis- covered in all the little Fanny said or wrote; but it was not until strongly urged by her benevolent and gifted friend, Mrs. Lydia M. Child, that the fruits of this genius were permitted to be seen by the world. She then became a contributor to the Juvenile Miscellany, and other periodicals, under the name of Florence. During a visit to London, just after her marriage with the distinguished artist whose name she bears, her first collection of poems was published, entitled A Wreath of Wild Flowers from New England. This gained for her the friendship of the Hon. Mrs. Norton, and much courteous attention from others of noble birth and talent in England. On her return, Mrs. Osgood edited The Flowers of Poetry, or Poetry of Floioers, and, for a short time, a magazine called The Ladies' Companion. In 1841, she published The Snowdrop, a book for children, and several other works of the same kind. Another volume of her Poems appeared in 1845 ; since which she has edited an annual, called The Floral Offering. For many years past she has been one of the most popular and fertile contributors to the monthly magazines of whom our country can boast. Her style in prose is lively and natural; and her ingenious stories are always freely sprinkled over with songs, or spar- kling epigrammatic little poems, which, like jewels on a ball-dress, not only give brilliancy for the immediate occasion, but will be taken out and preserved, when the story itself is laid by and forgotten. ^82 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. As a poetess, Mrs. Osgood is irresistibly fascinating. "There is nothing mechanical about her ;" but (as the Rev. Dr. Davidson* very truly observes) "all is buoyant, overflowing, irrepressible vivacity, like .he bubbling up of a natural fountain. In her almost childish playful- ness, she reminds us of that exquisite creation of Fonque, Undine, who knew no law but that of her own waywardness. The great charm of her poetry is its unaffected simplicity. It is the transparent simplicity of truth, reflecting the feeling of the moment like a mirror." But this is not her only, or her most marked characteristic : grace, wit, fancy, feeling, and a delicious adaptation of sound to sense, are equally observ- able. As we read her poems, her fairy songs, so sprightly, loving, and musical, and her fervent strains of tender thought, it is hard to sfiy which of these predominate. But Mrs. Osgood possesses, also, loftier qualities than those w^hich merely fascinate. There is a fine moral awakening power, in her noble and spirited lines on Labour, which evi- dently proves that she can be — more than fanciful, v/itty, and tender,— an eloquent teacher of wisdom and truth. LABOUR. " Laborare est crave." Pause not to dream of the future before us, Pause not to weep the wild cares that come o'er us ; Hark, how Creation's deep musical chorus, Unintermitting, goes up unto Heaven! Never the ocean-wave falters in flowing, Never the little seed stops in its growing; More and more richly the rose-heart keeps glowing, Till from its nourishino- stem it is riven. Labour is worship! the robin is singing; Labour is worship! the wild bee is ringing: Listen, — that eloquent whisper upspringing Speaks to thy soul from out nature's great heart. From the dark cloud flows the life-giving shower, From the rough sod blows the soft-breathing flower. * Of New Brunswick, New Jersey. FRANCES S. OSGOOD, 383 Fiofn the small insect, the rich C3ral bower; On.y man in the plan shrinks from his part. Labour is life ! — 'T is the still water faileth ; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth; Keep the watch wound, for the dark rust assailelh; Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. Labour is glory ! the flying cloud lightens ; Only the roving wind changes and brightens ; Idle hearts only, the dark future frightens ; Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune. Labour is rest — from the sorrows that greet us, Rest from all petty vexations that meet us. Rest from sin-promptings that ever entreat us, Rest from world-syrens that lure us to ill. Work — and pure slumbers shall wait on thy pillow ; Work — thou shalt ride over Care's coming billow; Lie not down wearied 'neath Wo's weeping willow ; Work with a stout heart and resolute will ! Droop not, though shame, sin, and anguish are round thee ; Bravely fling off the cold chain that hath bound thee; Look to yon pure Heaven smiling beyond thee! Rest not content in thy darkness — a clod ! Work — for some good — be it ever so slowly; Cherish some flower — be it. ever so lowly; Labour ! All labour is noble and holy : — Let thy good deeds be thy prayer to thy God ' S L ANDE R. A WHISPER woke the air — A soft light tone and low, Yet barb'd with shame and woe; Now, might it only perish there? 'Not farther go. S54 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. Ah me! a quick and eager ear Caught up the little meaning sound < Another voice has breathed it clear, And so it Avanders round, From ear to lip — from lip to ear, Until it reach'd a gentle heart, And that — it hroke. It was the only heart it found, The only heart 'twas meant to find, When first its accents woke ; — It reach'd that tender heart at last, And that — it Iroke. Low as it seem'd to other ears, It came a thunder crash to hers^ That fragile girl so fair and gay, — That guileless girl so pure and true J 'Tis said a lovely humming-bird That in a fragrant lily lay. And dream'd the summer morn away. Was kilPd but by the gun's report. Some idle boy had fired in sport! The very sound — a death-blovv'' came! And thus her happy heart, that beat With love and hope, so fast and sweet, (Shrined in its lily too — For who the maid that knew But own'd the delicate flower-like grace Of her young form and face ?) When first that word Her light heart heard. It flutter'd like the frighten'd bird, Then shut its wings and sigh'd, And, with a silent shudder — died! FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 385' THE LIFE-VOYAGE (A B A LL AD . ) Once in the olden time there dwelt Beside the sounding sea, A little maid — her garb was coarsCi Her spirit pure and free. Her parents were an humble twain, And poor as poor could be; Yet gayly sang the guileless child, Beside the sounding sea. The hut was bare, and scant the fare^ And hard her little bed; But she was rich! A single gem Its beauty round her shed. She walk'd in light! — 'twas all her wealth— That pearl, whose lustrous glow Made her white forehead dazzling fair, And pure as sunlit snow. . Her parents died! With tears she cried, "God will my father be!" Then launch'd alone her shallop light. And bravely put to sea. The sail she set was virgin-white, As inmost lily leaf. And angels whisper'd her from Heaven, To loose it or to reef. And ever on the dancing prow One glorious brilliant bum'd, By whose clear ray she read her way^ And every danger learn'd : ^3 ? :^S0 FRANCES S. OSGOOr. For she had hung her treasure there^ Her heaven-illumined pearl! And so she steer'd her lonelj^ bark, That fair and guileless girl ! The wind was fresh, the sails were frt^^ High dash'd the diamond spray. And merrily leaping o'er the sea, The light skiff left the bay ! But soon false, evil spirits came. And strove, with costly lure. To bribe her maiden heart to shame, And win her jewel. pure. They swarm'd around the fragile boat. They brought her diamonds rare, To glisten on her graceful throat. And bind her flowing hair ! They brought her gold from Afric-land, And from the sea-king's throne They pilfer'd gems, to grace her hand And clasp her virgin zone. But still she shook the silken cuil Back from her beaming eyes. And cried — "I bear my spotless pearl Home, home to yonder skies! "!N"ow shame ye not your ocean gems . And Eastern gold to show ? Behold f how mine outburns them all I God's smile is in its glow!" Fair blows the v/ind, the sail swells free^ High shoots the diamond spray. And merrily o'er the murmuring sea The light boat lear>s away! FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 387 They swarm'd around the fragile bark, They strove with costlier lure To bribe her maiden heart to shame. And win her jewel pure. " We bring thee rank — we bring thee power — We bring thee pleasures free — No empress, in her silk-hung bower, May queen her realm like thee ! " Now yield us up the one white pearl ! 'Tis but a star, whose ray Will fail thee, rash, devoted girl, When tempests cloud thy way." But still she smiled a loftier smile, And raised her frank, bright eyes. And cried — "I bear my vestal star Home, home to yonder skies !" The wind is fresh — the sail swells free — High shoots the diamond spray! And merrily o'er the moaning sea The light boat leaps away! Suddenly, stillness broods around, A stillness as of death, Above, below — no motion, sound! Hardly a struggling breath! Then wild and fierce the tempest came. The dark wind-demons clash'd Their weapons swift— the air was flame! The waves in madness dash'd! They swarm'd around the tossing boat — " Wilt yield thy jewel now f Look! look! already drench'd in spray, It trembles at the prow. 388 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. " Be ours_ the gem ! and safely launcli'd Upon a summer sea, Where never cloud may frown in heaveu Thy pinnace light shall be!" But still she smiled a fearless smile, And raised her trusting eyes. And cried — "I bear my talisman Home, home to yonder skies !" And safe through all that blinding storm The true bark floated on, And soft its pearl-illumined prow Through all the tumult shone! An angel, guided through the clouds , By that most precious light. Flew down the fairy helm to take, And steer the boat aright. Then died the storm upon the sea. High dash'd the diamond spray, And merrily leaping light and free, The shallop sail'd away. And meekly, when at eve her bark Its destined port had found, • She moor'd it by the mellow spark Her jewel shed around ! Would'st know the name the maiden worst 'Twas Innocence — like thine! Wouldst know the pearl she nobly bore? ^T was Truth — a gem divine ! Thou hast the jewel — keep it bright, Undimm'd by mortal fear. And bathe each stain upon its light With Grief's repentant tear' FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 3S9 Still shrink from falsehood's fairest guise, By flattery unbeguiled! Siill let thy heart speak from thine eyes, My pure and simple child ! A s o JV G . Call me pet names, dearest ! Call me a bird That flies to thy breast at one cherishing word, That folds its wild wings there, ne'er dreaming of flight, That tenderly sings there in loving delight ! Oh ! my sad heart keeps pining for one fond word, — Call me pet names, dearest! Call me thy bird ! Call me sweet names, darling! Call me a flower, That lives in the light of thy smile each hour. That droops when its heaven — thy heart — grows cold. That shrinks from the wicked, the false and bold. That blooms for thee only, through sunlight and shower 5 Call me pet names, darling ! Call me thy flower ! Call me fond names, dearest! Call me a star. Whose smile's beaming welcome thou feel'st from afar, Whose light is the clearest, the truest to thee. When the " night-time of sorrow" steals over life's sea : Oh! trust thy rich bark, where its warm rays are. Call me pet names, darling! Call me thy star! Call me dear names, darling ! Call me thine own ! Speak to me always in Love's low tone ! Let not thy look nor thy voice grow cold ; Let my fond worship thy being enfold ; Love me for ever, and love me alone ! Call me pet names, darling ! Call me thine own 83 * 90 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. A SONG. Yes! "lower to the level" Of those who laud thee now f Go ! join the joyous revel, And pledge the heartless vow.' Go! dim the soul-born beauty That lights that lofty brow ! Fill, fill the bowl! let burning wine Drown, in thy soul. Love's dream divia© Yet when the laugh is lightest, When wildest goes the jest. When gleams the goblet brightest, And proudest heaves thy breast, And thou art madly pledging Each gay and jovial guest, — A ghost shall glide amid the flowers — The shade of Love's departed hours ! And thou shalt drink in sadness From all the splendour there. And curse the revel's gladness, And hate the banquet's glare. And pine, 'mid Passion's madness. For true Love's purer air. And feel thou'dst give their wildest glee^ For one unsullied sigh from me! Yet deem not this my prayer, love^ Ah ! no ! if I could keep Thy alter'd heart from care, love, And charm its griefs to sleep. Mine only should despair, love. I — I alone would weep ! I — I alone would mourn the flowers That fade in Love's deserted bowers: FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 391 SILENT LOVE. Ah ' let our love be still a folded flower, A pure, moss rose-bud blushing to be seen. Hoarding its balm and beauty for that hour When souls may meet without the clay Jotween ! Let not a breath of passion dare to blow Its tender, timid, cjinging leaves apart ! Let not the sunbeam, with too ardent glow, Profane the dewy freshness at its heart! Ah ! keep it folded like a sacred thing ! With tears and smiles its bloom an-J fragrance nurse ; Still let the modest veil around it cling; Nor with rude touch its pleading sweetness curse. Be thoii content, as I, to knoiv^ not sp■e^ The glowing life, the treasured wealth within — To feel our spirit-flower still fresh and frep, And guard its blush,- its smile, from shame and sin. Ah! keep it holy! once the veil withdrawn — Once the rose blooms — its balmy soul will fly, As fled of old in sadness, yet in scorn, Th' awaken'd god from Psyche's daring eye ! "•SHE LOVES HIM YET. A SONO. She loves him yet ! I know by the blush that rises Beneath the curls That shadow her soul-Lit cheek; ':^92 FRANCES S. OSGOOD She loves nim yet. Thro' all Love's sweet disguises In timid girls, A blush will be sure to speak. But deeper signs Than the radiant blush of beauty, The maiden finds, Whenever his name is heard; — Her young heart thrills, Forgetting herself — her duty — Her dark eye fills. And her pulse with hope is stirr-d. She loves him yet! The flower the false one gave her When last he came, Is still with her wild tears wet. She'll ne'er forget, . Howe'er his faith may waver. Thro' grief and shamf", Believe it — she loves him yet ' His favourite songs fihe will sing — she heeds — no other; With all her. wrongs Her life on his love is set. Oh! doubt no more! She never can wed another : Till life be o'er. She loves — she will love him ye.. STANZAS FOR MUSiC. Believe me, 'tis no pang of jealous pride That brings these tears I know not how to hide; 1 only grieve because — because — I see Thou find'st not all thy heart demands in me. FRANCES S. OSGOOD. I only grieve that others, who care less For thy dear love, thy lightest wish may bless ; That while to them thou'rt nothing — all to me, They may a moment minister to thee! Ah ! If a fairy's magic might were mine, I'd joy to change with each new wish of thine; Nothing to all the world beside I'd be. And everything thou lov'st, in turn to thee ! Pliant as clouds, that haunt the sun-god still, I 'd catch each ray of thy prismatic will ; I'd be a flower — a wild, sweet flower I'd be. And sigh my very life away for thee. I'd be a gem and drink light from the sun, To glad thee with, if gems thy fancy won ; Were birds thy joy, I'd light with docile ^qq Upon thy hand, and shut my wings for thee ! Could a wild wave thy glance of pleasure micet, I'd lay my crown of spray-pearls at thy feet; Or could a star delight thy heart, I 'd be The happiest star that ever look'd on thee ! If music lured thy spirit, I would take A tune's aerial beauty for thy sake; And float into thy soul, till I could see How to become all melody to thee. The weed, that by the garden blossom grows, Would, if it could, be glorious as the rose ; It tries to bloom — its soul to light aspires; The love of beauty every fibre fires. And / — no luminous cloud floats by above, But wins at once ray envy and my love. So passionately wild this thirst in me. To be all beauty and all grace to thee ! 393 39 4 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. Alas! I am but woman, fond and weak, Without even power my proud, pure love to speak, But oh ! l)y all I fail in, love not me For what 1 am — but what I wish to he ! T 11 EBOY PAINTER. "My mother's kiss made mo a paiiiter." Life of Benjamin West. A LITTLE heart where slept the germ, as yet m night con- cealed, Of power and glory since to be (how radiantly) reveaPd, Alone, beside a cradle bed, was beating fast and warm. Where, beautiful in slumber, lay a baby's dimpled form. The infant smiled in sleep, and lo ! a little ardent hand, Ere fled the smile, had snatch'd a pen and paper from the stand, And traced the cradle and the babe, as if by magic spell ; How soft, beneath that tiny touch, the fairy features fell. Hov/ fondly o'er the playful sketch he bends — the enraptured boy — Unmindful of his precious charge, so deep his dream of joy, 'Tis broken by a stealing step — his mother caught the prize, And kiss'd away the cloud of doubt that fill'd his timid eyes. Oh ! blessed love ! how mighty thou to sway the human heart ! A subtle yet a holy thing, and conqueror thou art! His sister's smile awoke the germ, his mother's kiss the flower And a world's tears the fruit embalm in many a classic bower THE TALIS MAN. My darling child! beside my knee She lingers, pleading low For "just one more sweet fairy tale, And then I'll let you go!" FRANCES S. OSGOOD. 395 ^'So listen, dear, and I will tell* How once to man was given An instrument so heavenly sweet Twas thought it came from Heaven. " So daintily its strings were wrought, So exquisitely fine, A breath from Him who made, could break The talisman divine. " So prompt, too, with its eloquent tones. This rare device they say. That, without touch of human hands, A wish could bid it play! "In radiant Eden first 'twas heard, Harmonious, mild, and clear; And at the sound, each singmg-bird Its warble hush'd, to hear. ^' From thence, with varying melody, But never with a tone So pure, so free, as then it had, It passM from sire to son. ^'And now, in murmurs soft and low As rippling rills, it sang. And now with wild, impassion'd flow, Its 'clarion-music rang! '^ If Love or Pity tuned the string, Or Memory ask'd its aid, Sweet, pleading notes, the charmed thmg III tender cadence play'd. " If Anger touch'd the quivering chords With trembling hand of fire, What demon-tones — 'what burning words Resounded from the lyref 396 FRANCES S. OSGOOD. "But oh! when soft Forgiveness came, And o'er the discord sigh'd, — How like an angel's lute of love That fairy lyre replied! "A fearful power the gift possess'd, A power for good or ill; — Each passion of the human breast Could sweep the strings at will. "And it could melt to softest tears, Or madden into crime, The hearts that heard its thrilling strains, Wild, plaintive, or sublime. "The oath within the murderer's heart, Fair childhood's sinless prayer, Hope's eager sigh. Affection's vow, AU found an echo there! "What pity, that a gift so rich, Attuned by love divine. Was thus profaned by impious man, At Guilt's unhallow'd shrine!" Her eyes in innocent wonder raised, As gravely still I spoke; The child into my face had gazed. But now the pause she broke : — "Oh! were it mine, that wondrous toy, That but a wish could wake ! Mamma, 'twould be my pride, my joy, Soft melody to make ! "The evil spirits, tempting youth. Should ne'er approach my treasure, IM 1"ces s„ OSGOOD. 399 TO A DEAR LITTLE TRUANT, WHO W O U L D xV ' T COME HOME. When are you coming ? the flowers have come \ Bees in the balmy air happily hum; In the dim woods where the cool mosses are, Gleams the Anemone's little, light star; Tenderly, timidly down in the dell. Sighs the sweet violet, droops the harebell : — Soft in the wavy grass lightens the dew; Spring keeps her promises, — vv^hy do not ijou f Up hi the blue air, the clouds are at play, — You are more graceful and lovely than they; Birds in the branches sing all the day long, — - When are you coming to join in their song ? Fairer than flowers, and fresher than dew ! Other sweet things are here, — why are not you? Why don't you come? we've welcomed the Rose! Every light zephyr, as gaily it goes. Whispers of other flowers, met on its way. Why has it nothing of you^ love, to say ? Why does it tell us of music and dew ? Rose of the South ! we are waiting for you ! Do not delay, darling, 'mid the dark trees, "Like a lute" murmurs the musical breeze; Sometimes the brook, as it trips by the flowers, Hushes its warble to listen for yours. Pure as the rivulet, — lovely and true! Spring should have waited till she could bring vouP /OO FRANCES S. OSGOOD. A moiher's prayer in illness. Yes! take them first^ my Father! Let ray doves Fold their white wings in Heaven, safe on thy breast. Ere I am calPd away! I dare not leave Their young hearts here, their innocent, thoughtless hearts Ah ! how the shadowy train of future ills Comes sweeping down life's vista as I gaze ! My May ! my careless, ardent-temper'd May ; My frank and frolic child ! in whose blue eyes Wild joy and passionate wo alternate rise ; Whose cheek, the morning in her soul illum.es •, Whose little, loving heart, a word, a glance, Can sway to grief or glee ; who leaves her play, And puts up her sweet mouth and dimpled arms. Each moment for a kiss, and softly asks, With her clear, flute-like voice, "Do you love me ?" Ah ! let me stay ! ah ! let me still be by. To answer her and meet her warm caress! For I away, how oft in this rough world, Tliat earnest question will be ask'd in vain! How oft that eager, passionate, petted heart, Will shrink abash'd and chilPd, to learn at length The hateful, withering lesson of distrust! Ah ! let her nestle still upon this breast, In v/hich each shade, that dims her darling face. Is felt and answer'd, as the lake reflects The clouds that cross yon smiling heaven! and thou — My modest Ellen! tender, thoughtful, true; Thy soul attuned to all sweet harmonies; My pure, proud, noble Ellen! with thy gifts Of genius, grace, and loveliness, half hidden 'Neath the soft veil of innate modesty, IIow will the world's wild discord reach thy heart To startle and appal! thy generous scorn I' RANGES S. OSGOOD. 40l Of all things base and mean — thy quick, keen ts^te, Damty and delicate — thy instinctive fear Of those unworthy of a soul so pure. Thy rare, unchildlike dignity of mien, All — they will all bring pain to thee, my child! And oh ! if even their grace and goodness meet Cold looks and careless greetings, how will all The latent evil yet undisciplined In their young, timid souls, forgiveness find ? Forgiveness, and forbearance, and soft chidings. Which I — their mother — learn'd of Love to give! Ah! let me stay! — albeit my heart is weary, Weary and worn, tired of its own sad beat. That finds no echo in this busy world Which cannot pause to answer — tired alike Of joy and sorrow — of the day and night! Ah ! take them first, my Father ! and then me ; And for their sakes — for their sweet sakes, my Father] Let me find rest beside them, at thy feet! THE CHILD PLAYING ^VITH A WATCH. Art thou playing with Time in thy sweet baby-glee? Will he pause on his pinions to frolic with thee? Oh ! show him those shadowless, innocent eyes. That smile of bewilder'd and beaming surprise; Let him look on that cheek where thy rich hair reposea, Where dimples are playing " bopeep " with the roses ; His wrinkled brow press with light kisses and warm, And clasp his rough neck with thy soft wreathing arm. Perhaps thy bewitching and infantine sweetness May win him, for once, to delay in his fleetness ; To pause, ere he rifle, relentless in flight, A blossom so glowing of bloom and of light. Then, then would I keep thee, my beautiful child, With thy blue eyes unshadow'd, thy blush undefiled, 34* 2a 40k THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. With thy innocence only to guard thee from ill, In life's sunny dawning, a lily-bud still! Laugh on! ray own Ellen! that voice, which to me Gives a warning so solemn, makes music for thee.; And w^hile I at those sounds feel the idler's annoy, Thou hear'st but the tick of the pretty gold toy; Thou seest but a smile on the brow of the churl, May his frov>^n never awe thee, my own baby-girl. And oh ! may his step, as he wanders with thee, Light and soft as thine own little fairy-tread be! While still in all seasons, in storms and fair weather, May Time and my Ellen be playmates together. THE SISTEES OF THE WEST. Two volumes of the joint productions of these united sisters have been given to the v/orld : the first in 1843, called The Wife of Leon and other Poems, which was published anonymously, or with the title with which we have headed our sketch ; the second in 1846, namely, The Indian Chamber and other Poems, by Mrs. Catherine Ann Warjield, and Mrs. Eleanor Percy Lee. Of their outward life we know nothing. Tt commenced, we believe, at Natchez, Mississippi, and one of them, Mrs. Warfield, resides at Grasmere, near Lexington, Kentucky. That their inward life is full of poetic beauty, and of the sweet yet mournful enchantment bestowed by true sentiment and strong imagination, may be seen by all who read their poems. There is something touching and noble about their sisterly union, — the purest, holiest, most undecaying friendship their souls will ever knov7. We love to think upon it' Whether Mrs. Lee has more original talent than Mrs. W^arfield, or Mrs. Warfield v/rites with greater ease than Mrs. Lee, is entirely con- cealed by their generous affection. THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. 403 A VALLEY OF VIRGINIA. A LONG deep valley — narrov/, silent, shaded By lofty trees — 'the young, the old, the seer; It lies where footstep seldom has invaded The haunts and coverts of the graceful deer. The silver sound of a small fountain, springing From the green bosom of the shaded earth. With its blithe, mellow and eternal singing, Is there the only voice that tells of mirth. For all the day the ringdove's note complaining, Fills with its murmurs sad the dusky air; And when the twilight solemnly is waning, The sullen owl shrieks wildly, harshly there. The young fawn starts, as o'er the fountain bending To quaff the water sparkling to the brim. He hears the savage cadence, far ascending Through the still evening air and forest dim. The grass is full of wild flowers, and they render A fragrance, strangely delicate and fine. And the young cedars, tall, erect and slender, Grow wreathed around with many a clinging vii^e, The purple clusters, 'mid the shadov/s falling. Invite the bird to leave his leafy hall. And, in low melodies, you hear him calling His brooding mate to share his festival. Vale of Virginia ! oft my spirit turneth From crowded cities to thy deep repose; And with a sick and weary aching, yearneth * To bear unto thy gloom its weight of woes, And dwell within thy shadows; there repelling All worldly forms, all vanities of earth, 404 THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. 1 would uprear a rude and moss-crowii'd dw3lling, And muse above a solitary hearth. There would I summon many a vanish'd vision, Around my threshold and my couch to draw ; And far from earthly fane, and man's derision, Adore, according to the living law. There, when mine eyes had closed in sleep eternal, Still would I wish to take my quiet rest, Slirined in that solitude profound aiid vernal. The boughs above, the wild flowers on my brea«t. L INE s . "You must malce That heart a tomb, and in it bniy deep Its young* and beautiful feelings." Barry CoRifWALL Lay them, lay them in their graves, Those feelings, deep and fine; Henceforth their marble tomb shall be The heart that was their shrine. Bury them with all the dreams Of those departed years. When joy was all too bright for smiles ! And grief too deep for tears ! Close within that stony vault, Which never more shall ope, The bitterness of memory. The feverishness of hope, The yearnings deep for sympathy, That deep within thee dwell, The love that finds no answering flame, And «ickens in its cell. THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. 405 Spread, O spread above that tomb A pall of purple pride, To veil the darkness and the gloom That 'neath its folds abide. Bear thee gaily in the dance, And proudly in the hall; I charge thee, let no eye behold What moulders 'neath that pall. It is thus that I have done, For such hath been my doom; My heart was once a fiery shrine. And now it is — a tomb ! My heart was once a storm-swept sea, And now it is that lake. O'er whose dead surface tempests rush, Nor bid its waters wake. Yet the ghosts of those dead thoughts, Those buried hopes and fears. They rise at times across the soul. Recalling vanish'd years : They float in dim and pale array, Those phantoms of the past; They freeze my blood — they chill my braiii^ As with an Iceland blast. Oh ! the spectres of the soul, How fearfully they rise; Each looking from its fleecy shroud With cold, clear spirit eyes. How chill a print their icy fpet Leave on the burning brain; How bleak a shadow do they cast. That dim and awful train. ■106 THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. Back to your cells, ye fleeting tlvings, I do command ye, back .' Obey the sceptre of despair. Retrace your ghostly track. Back to your tomb where ye were pent, Like the frail nuns of old. Ere yet the grief that was your life Was waxing faint and cold. THE PALACES OF ARAB7 "Oh, the heart, Too vivid in its lightened energies, May read its fate in sunny Araby! How lives its beauty in each eastern tale — Its growth of spices, and its groves of balm — These are exhausted ; and what is it now ? — A wild and burning wilderness," Miss Lanpoit. The Palaces of Araby ! hov/ beautiful they were, Rearing their golden pinnacles unto the sunny air, 'Mid fragrant groves of spice, and balm, and waving orange trees And clear-toned fountains sparkling up to kiss the passing breeze. The Palaces of Araby! oh, still there is a dream, A vision, on my brain of all, as long extinct and dim ; They rise upon my fancy yet, vast, beautiful and grand. As in past centuries they stood through all that radiant land. The Palaces of Araby ! pale forms of marble mould Were ranged in every stately hall, white, glittering and cold; And urns of massive crystal bright stood on each marble floor, Where odours of a thousand lands burn'd brightly evermore. The Palaces of Araby ! vast mirrors, shrined in gold. Gave back from every lofty wall splendour a thousand fold; THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. 407 And the gleaming of uncounted gems, and the blaze of odoroug light, Stream'd down from every fretted dome, magnificently bright. J see them now, " so fancy deems," those bright Arabian girls, Binding, with glittering gems and flowers, their dark and flow- ing curls. Or sweeping, with their long, rich robes, throughout those marble halls,* Or holding, in their rose-clad bowers, gay, gorgeous festivals. I see them now, "so fancy deems," those v/arriors high and bold, Draining their draughts of ruby wine from cups * of massive gold. Or dashing on their battle steeds, like meteors, to the war. With the dazzling gleam of helm and shield and jewelled scimitar. That dream hath fled, that pageant passM — unreal things and vain. Why rise ye up so vividly, so brightly, to my brain ? The desert hath no palaces, the sands no fountain stream, And the brave and beautiful are frail and shadowy as my dream. The Palaces of Araby! oh, there is not a stone To mark the splendour and the pride, for ever crushed and gone ; The lonely traveller ' hears no more the sound of harp and lute, And the fountain voices, glad and clear, for evermore are mute. Lost Araby! lost Araby! the world's extinguish'd light. Thou liest dark and desolate, a thing of shame and blight; Rome hath her lofty ruins yet — Greece smiles amid her tears, In thee alone we find no trace, no wreck, of other years. 408 THE SISTERS OF THE WEST. BURY HER WITH HER SHINING HASH Bury her with her shining hair Around her streaming bright; Bury her with those locks so rare Enrobing her in light. As saints, who in their iiative sky Their golden haloes w^ear, ' Around her forehead, pure and highj Enwreathe her shining hair. She was too frail on earth to stay, I never saw a face On which, of premature decay Was set so plain a trace. She was too pure to linger here, Amid the homes of earth;, Her spirit in another sphere Had its immortal birth. She was not one to live and love Amid earth's fading things ; Her being had its home above, And spread immortal wings. 4nd around her now, as still she sleeps Encoffin'd in her prime. No eye in a^guish'd sorrow weeps. For grief is here sublime. Even while she lived, an awe was cast Around her loveliness ; [t seem'd as if, whene'er she pass'd, A spirit came to bless. A child upraised its tiny hands, And cried — "Oh, weep no more, Mother! behold an angel stands Before our cottage door." MARIA LOWELL. 409 We would not bring her back to life, With word, or charm, or sign — "Nov yet recall to scenes of strife A creature all divine. We would not even ask to shred One tress of golden gleam, That o'er that fair and perfect head Sheds a refulgent beam. T^o ! — lay her with her shining hair Around her flowing bright ; We would not keep, of one so rare, Memorials in our sight. Too harsh a shade would seem to lie On all things here beneath, If we beheld one token by. Of her who sleeps in death. MARIA LOWELL. Maria White, the daughter of an opulent citizen of Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1844 was married to James Russell Lowell ; and for her genius, taste, and many admirable personal qualities, she is worthy to be the wife of that fine poet and true-hearted man. She has pub- lished several elegant translations from the German, and a large num- ber of original poems of the imagination, some of which illustrate questions of morals and humanity. Some of her most beautiful poems are written in behalf of Abolition, a cause which she and her hus- Diind aid very efficiently by their zealous eloquence. ^5 410 MARIA LOWELL. JESUS AND THE DOVE. With I atient hand Jesus in clay once wrought, And made a snowy dove that upward flew. Dear child, from all things draw some holy thought That, like his dove, they may fly upward too,, Mary, the mother good and mild, Went forth one summer's day, That Jesus and his comrades all In meadows green might play. To find the brightest, freshest flowers, They search the meadows round, They twined them all into a wreath And little Jesus crown'd. Weary with play, they came at last And sat at Mary's feet. While Jesus ask'd his mother dear A story to repeat. •'And we," said one, "from out this clay Will make some . little birds ; So shall we all sit quietly, And heed the mother's words." Then Mary, in her gentle voice,. Told of a little child Who lost her -way one dark, dark nightj Upon a dreary wild ; And how an angel came to her, And made all bright around. And took the trembling little one From off the damp, hard ground ; MARIA LOWELL. 411 And how he bore her in his arms Up to the blue so far, And how he laid her fast asleep, Down in a silver star. The children sit at Mary's feet, But not a word they say, So busily their fingers work To mould the birds of clay. But now the clay that Jesus held, And turn'd unto the light, And moulded with a patient touch, Changed to a perfect white. And slowly grew within his hands A fair and gentle dove, Whose eyes unclose, whose wings unfold Beneath his look of love. The children drop their birds of clay, And by his side they stand, To look upon the wondrous dove He holds within his hand. And when he bends and softly breathes, Wide are the wings outspread ; And when he bends and breathes again, It hovers round his head. Slowly it rises in the air Before their eager eyes. And, with a white and steady wing. Higher and higher flies. The children all stretch forth their arms As if to draw it down : ''Dear Jesus made the little dove From out the clay so brown — 412 MARIA LOWELL. ''Canst thou not live with us below. Thou little dove of clay, And let us hold thee in our hands, And feed thee every day ? "The little dove it hears us not, But higher still doth fly; It could not live with us below — ■ Its home is in the sky." Mary, who silently saw all — That mother true and mild — Folded her hands upon her breast, And kneel'd before her child. SONG. Oh, Bird, thou dartest to the sun When morning beams first spring, And I, like thee, would swiftly run, As sweetly would I sing; Thy burning heart doth draw thee up Unto the source of fire — Thou drinkest from its glowing cup, And quenchest thy desire. Oh, Dew, thou droppest soft below And pearlest all the ground; Yet when the noontide comes, I know Thou never canst be found. I would like thine had been my birth; Then I, without a sigh. Might sleep the night through on the earth« To waken in the sky. MARIA LOWELL. 413 Oh, Clouds, ye little tender sheep. Pastured in fields of blue. While moon and stars your fold can keep And gently shepherd you — Let me, too, follow in the train • That flocks across the night, Or lingers on the open plain With new-wash'd fleeces white. Oh, singing Winds, that wander far, Yet always seem at home, And freely play 'twixt star and star Along the bending dome — I often listen to your song. Yet never bear you say One word of all the happy worlds That shine so far away. For they are free, ye all are free — And Bird, and Dew, and Light, Can dart upon the azure sea. And leave me to my night. Oh, w^ould like theirs had been my birth . Then I, without a sigh. Might sleep this night through on the earth, To waken in the sky. THE MORNING-GLORY. We wreathed about our darling's head The morning-glory bright; Her little face look'd out beneath, So full of life and light. So lit as with a sunrise, That we could only say, 35* 414 MARIA LOWELL, " She is the morning-glory true, And her poor types are they." So always from that happy time We call'd her by their name, And very fitting did it seem — For, sure as morning came. Behind her cradle bars she smiled To catch the first faint ray. As fvDm the trellis smiles the flower And opens to the day. But not so beautiful they rear Their airy cups of blue, As turn'd her sweet eyes to the light, Brimm'd with sleep's tender dew ; And not so close their tendrils fine Round their supports are thrown, As those dear arms whose outstretch'd plea Clasp'd all hearts to her own. We used to think how she had come, Even as comes the flower. The last and perfect added gift To crown love's morning hour. And how in her was imaged forth The love we could not say, As on the little dev/drops round Shines back the heart of day. We never could have thought, O God, That she must wither up, Almost before a day was flown. Like the morning-glory's cup; We never thought to see her droop Her fair and noble head, Till she lay stretch'd before our eyes, Wilted, and cold, and dead! MARY L. SEWARD. 415 The morning-glory's blossoming Will soon be coming round : We see their rows of heart-shaped leaves Upspringing from the ground; The tender things the winter kilPd Renew again their birth, But the glory pf our morning Has pass'd away from earth. Oh, Earth ! in vain our aching eyes Stretch over thy green plain ! Too harsh thy dews, too gross thine air, Her spirit to sustain : But up in groves of paradise Full surely we shall see Our morning-glory beautiful Twine round our dear Lord's knee. MARY L. SEWARD. Mrs. Seward is a native of New York, and daughter of Mr. Mum- ford, well known as the editor of The Standard, an able democratic journal. She was married a few years since to a son of the Hon. S. S. Seward, of Orange County, and is now a widow. Her graceful and pleasing poems frequently appear in the Churchman'' s Miscellany, and other periodicals. SYMPATHY. Come thou with me — thy clasped hand in mine — I '11 tell thee o'er the story of thy heart ; I'll tell thee how my spirit springs to thine, I'll bid the shadows from thy brow depart. 416 MARY L . SEWARD. Ah ! earnestly 1 've mark'd thee day by day, And ever day by day with saddening thought; I've seen thy purest feelings thrown away, And niourn'd the inward woe such waste hath wrought. Life's favour'd child, for ever round thee spring Immortal flowers of love and beauty rare ; And still the incense they around thee fling Charms not thy senses from their spell of care, — Lures not thy spirit from its wayward dreams. Beguiles thee not the livelong, dreary day, Awakes thee not to bless the sunny beams That fain would light the*^ ^n thy weary way ! Thou sighest still for something not thine own, Some precious thing that ever mocks thy sigh, Some phantom form of love, that long hath flov/n Above, beyond, thy watchful, eager eye. Oh! sigh no more, and bid thy dreams begone! Let waking visions all thy pain beguile • Nay, turn not thy reproachful gaze on one Whose- all of life is centred in thy smile. If holiest love dwelt not within my soul. Dost think that I could read' thy soul aright? Dost think that I would thus fling ofl" control. And all my inner self reveal to sight } \ 've not a selfish thought, when thou art near ; My loving heart, with all the might it hath, Forgetting self, but longs, with trembling fear. To be the guardian angel. of thy path. From all that grieves thee now thyself to win, And make a paradise on earth for thee, Where, though the serpent Care may enter in, He'll linger not, for Love will bid him flee. MARY L. SEWARD. 417 JESUS' NIGHT OP PRAYER. " And it came to pass in those days that Ke went out into a mouiitaixi to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." — Luke vi. 12, 'Tis night! and weary eyes in slumber closing, Woo the soft presence of ethereal dreams : 'Tis night! from restless thought and toil reposing, The land in silence lies, till morning beams. Far up the mountain's rugged steep ascending, One only watcher sleepeth not for care ; Yet angels from their starry thrones are bending, 'With paTusiFig' harps; for io. He kneels in prayer. The night-dews coldly on His form are falling, Rudely the winds those sacred temples smite : But still lone echo hears Him sadly calling With voice importunate to God all night. What mighty theme his secret thought engaging, Detains the " Man of sorrows" humbly there .'* What fearful woe, His anxious soul presaging, Vv onld he avert with breath of pleading prayer ? Ah ! for His Church, the Sinless One beseecheth ; His Church, that trembling 'mid her hopes and fears, He sees, with prescient gaze that onward reacheth Through the long vista of time-shadow'd years. Amid the wilderness, he marks her failing, Her steps by fierce temptation led aside ; Her robes of light, her glorious garments trailing O'er paths unmeet for the Eternal Bride. And He would shield her in her trial hour. Would keep her drooping children from despair; Would give her strength to guard her priceless dower Of faith and love — her martyr's crown to wear. 2b il8 ANNE M. F. ANNAN. Thou, on whose heart, wild waves of sorrow beating, Would seem to whelm with darkness all thy life, Think, when with joy, thou seest them back retreating. It was thy Saviour''s prayer that hush'd their strife. Thou too, upon whose pathway ever blending Are light and beauty, blessing thee alway; Think, on His heart He bore thee when ascending That lonely mountain, where He knelt to pray. Oh ! think of Him, the while thy vigils number Scarce one brief hour, passing so soon away; And rouse thy spirit from its dreamy slumber. Like him, unceasingly to "watch and pray." ANNE M. F. ANNAN. Mks. Annan was born in Pennsylvania. Her father, Mr. Buchanan, was engaged several years in the iron manufacture in a secluded district of Dauphin County ; and in the beautiful river and mountain scenery of this region her childhood and youth were passed. In 1840, she was married to Dr. Samuel Annan, of Baltimore ; where she resided until 1846, when Dr. Annan was elected to a professorship in Transylvania University; since which event their home has been in Lexington, Kentucky. Before her marriage, Mrs. Annan published a great many fugitive poems which possessed considerable merit ; showing a lively fancy, and an ear for rhythm. She seldom writes poetry now, but uses her talent for composition in furnishing stories for the magazines, with equal ingenuity and rapidity. ANNE M. F. ANNAN. 419 THE DAUGHTER OF THE BLIND. My father dear! 'tis sweet to me These calm, soft evening hours, Thus, with your hand in mine, to be Among my gentle flowers. I've planted such as you can love, — Not things of flaunting bloom. But such as seem to have a soul That speaks through their perfume; — The thyme that sheds its fragrance o'er The foot by which 'tis trod, — An emblem of God's loved, the meek, Who kiss the smiting rod; And jasmines sweet, which sweeter breauie The lower smks the sun, Like the true heart which fonder grows As sorrow's night comes on! Though, with their glorious poesy, The stars to you are dim. Does not each wind that wafts about Speak to you in a hymn ? » The very breeze to which I give This breath, may but to-day. Have linger'd in memorial fanes Of ages pass'd away ; From the lone mart of vanish'd men The desert's sands have roll'd. And stirr'd the ivy w^here the lay Of chivalry was troU'd; — Oh ! while a thousand themes they bring Of temple, tower and tomb. One fill'd like thou with lofty love Sure cannot live in gloom! 120 LOUISA S. MCORD. And v/hen with snows our walks are spread. From Milton's deathless page I'll read the visions seraphs brought To cheer his sightless age : I'll read of pageant's proud which flash'd Through Homer"'s dav/nless night, And blind old Ossian's fancies fraught With shadowy forms of mi^ht; And while my voice is sweet to you. And veil'd my form and face, I'll smile that nature holds from me Her gifts of bloom and grace; For the vain world heeds not the one That lacks such things of pride, And will not bring its tempting wiles To lure me from your side: LOUISA S. M'COED, The daughter of Judge Langdon Cheves, is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. She was principally educated at Philadelphia, during her father's residence in that city as president of the United States' Bank. She is now the wife of David J. M'Cord, Esq., and resides on her plantation in St. Matthew's parish, near Fort Motte, (of revolutionary memory,) South Carolina. Her talents and attain- ments are of a superior order ; her mind, by nature strong, has been richly cultivated by extensive reading of the best authors. A volume of her poems appeared in the early part of the present year (1848;, under the title of My Dreams. She has a vivid imagination and warm feeling, but they are not well disciplined by good taste and correct judgment. LOUISAS. M CORD. 421 SPIRIT OF THE STORM. Wild spirit of the storm, who rid'st the blast, And in the growling thunder speak'st thy rage, Would I could soar with thee ! Untamed, unfetter'd, roaming through the vast Expanse of universe from age to age, 'T is thine, thine ! to be free ! 'Tis mine, to lie, and grovel in the dust, « And wonder at thy might. And in admiring amazement lost. To tremble at the terrors of thy fearful night. But no ! with thee my spirit longs to rise, It doth not tremble. — Genius of the storm ! Thou art but tameless, wild, As I would be, could I enfranchise My chain'd being, — cast off the grovelling worm- — Nature's untamed storm-child. With thee the whirlwind in its might I 'd ride, Revel in the howling blast. Play with the fork'd lightnings, and deride The timorous world, by thee with weary fears harass'd. Borne on the hurricane's extended v/ing. And in the whirlwind sweeping over earth — Then in the billowy deep. To wake the voice of Discord, mastering The ocean's stillness, to riot giving birth In those still caves, where sleep In silent majesty is wont to reign. Would I could roam with thee ! The throbbing wish bounds in my every vein. Wild spirit of the storm ! like thee, I would be free. 36 422 LOUISA s. m'cord. 'TIS BUT THEE, LOVE, ONLY THEE Where the sunbeam glanceth brightest, There, my love, I think on thee. Where the summer breeze is lightest. Still of thee, and only thee. Where the gently murmuring stream Lulls t© soft and placid dream, Who for ever lingers near me ? Who but thee, love ? only thee ! And if fear, or dark misgiving, Hover round with evening's gloom. Fancy's tissues darkly weaving. Tracing sorrows yet to come ; Still, one shadow lingering near, Even scenes like these are dear. Who the angel hovering near me ? Who but thee, love .? only thee ! Thus in hope, and thus in sorrow, Fancy paints thy shadow near, Thou the brightener of each morrow^ Thou the soother of each care. And the sun which gives me light, And the star which gilds my night. And the lingering hope to cheer me, 'Tis but thee, love! only thee! M. C, CANFIELD. Mrs. M. C. Canfield, formerly Miss Hulme, is a native of Burling fcon, New Jersey, but now resides in Ohio. She has published a numbei of useful little books for the young; and has, for some years past, con* tributed to the Episcopal Recorder, and other periodicals. Her poetical effusions, which are written with ease and spirit, and marked by pure and elevated feeling, have been mostly of a local or personal char- acter, and have appeared anonymously, or under the signature " C." THE ELECTOR OF SAXONY AT AUGSBURG. The first faint light of early day Rested on vale and hill, Touch'd the old towers and turiets gray, But Augsburg slumber'd still. Its silent streets gave back no sound, Save some lone passer's tread, Some peasant to his labour bound, Some watcher o'er the dead. Courtier and prince in deep repose Forgot ea^ toil and care. Yet from one quiet chamber rose The voice of early prayer. His princely robes aside were thrown, His sword unsheathed lay, Where an old warrior bent him down In solitude to pray. The long, thin locks of hoary years Hung round his noble brow, While from his aged eyes the tears* Fell all unheeded now. D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation. — ^Vol. iv. • (423) * 424 M. C. CANFIELD. Not for his threaten'd state and crown Did they in silence flow, No selfish fear thai: spirit bound Of royal, crafty foe. 'T was for the holy ark of God He wept and wrestled there, Beseeching that his gracious Lord Would guard it from each snare. The rosy light fell on his form, The soft breeze stirr'd his hair, And peace from heaven was gently borne, In answer to that prayer. His soul grew calm with faith and love, His eye wdth fervour bright — The strength that cometh from above Had nerved him for the fight. He sat amid that little band Of noble Christian men. And seized with eager joyful hand The truth-confessing pen. " Nay ! stop me not !" he quickly cried, " I would confess my Lord ! Take, take from me these maj;ks of pride, My ermine, hat and sword. To me the Cross of Christ is more Than all these toys of kings — ■■ They pass with life — it rises o'er The wreck of earthly things. My Master's Cross ! I '11 bear it high While life and breath remain, Christ, Christ alone ! I '11 dying cry, When other hopes are vain! Then let me humbly place my name Upon this speaking scroll — Ye men of God, be mine your shame, Your coniict, and your goal!" AMANDA M. EDMOND. Thou brave old man! where'er thou an-, 'Mid courts at princely board, How beautiful! How true in heart! Thou servant of the Lord ! Thou veteran in that glorious fight For Christ, for heaven, for truth, Faith gave thine aged arm the might Of strong, undaunted youth. First in that band, the noble few. Thou stood'st with bearing high, " I must confess my Saviour too !" Thy watchword and thy cry. No wish for honour, praise, or fame, Glow'd in thine aged breast, Yet never shone more honour'd name On proud, imperial crest. And long when his who triumph'd there Has pass'd from mortal sight. Thine yet shall live more radiant far, Engraved with heaven's own light! AMANDA M. EDMOND. Mrs. Edmond was born in Brookline, Massachusetts ; her maiden name was Corey. She was married at nineteen, and soon after made a tour through the most interesting countries of Europe. On her return she pubhshed a volume, entitled The Broken Vow and other Poems; nearly all of which were written between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. • This is sufficient to deter any one from searching out their faults, or making a show of them when found. They are all dictated by a truly religious spirit ; and, therefore, claim respect for the author as a Christian, whatever may be thought of her abilities as a poet. 36* 4.26 AMANDA M. EDMOND. WHEN IS THE TIME TO DIE.' 1 ASKED a glad and happy child, Whose hands were filPd with flowers, Whose silvery laugh rang free and wild, Among the vine-wreathed bowers. I cross'd her sunny path, and cried, ' When is the time to die ?' ' Not yet ! not yet !' the child replied, And swiftly bounded by. I ask'd a maiden, back she flung The tresses of her hair; A whisper'd name was on her tongue, Whose memory hover'd there. A flush pass'd o'er her lily brow, I caught her spirit's sigh ; ' Not now,' she cried, ' O no, not noiv . Youth is no time to die.' I ask'd a mother, as she prest Her first-born in her arms. As gently on her tender breast She hush'd her babe's alarms. In quivering tones her answer came, Her eyes v/ere dim with tears, 'My boy his mother's life must claiiiS; For many, many years !' I question'd one in manhood's prime, Of proud and fearless air. His brow was furrow'd not by time, Or dimm'd by woe and care. In angry accents he replied, — And gleara'd with scorn his eye, 'Talk not to me of death,' he cried, ' For only age should die.' AMANDA M. EDMOND. 4.21 J question'd Age -^ for him, the tomb Had long been all prepared, • But death, who withers youth and bloom, This man of years had spared. Once more his nature's dying fire Flash'd high, as thus he cried, ' Life^ only life is my desire !' Then gasp'd, and groan'd, and died I ask'd a Christian — 'ansv/er thou When is the hour of death ;' A holy calm was on his brow. And peaceful was his breath; And sweetly o'er his features stole A smile, a light divine ; He spake the language of his soul, ' My Master's time is mine /' THE GREENWOOD DEPTHS, O! the greenwood depths are beautiful, When the tall and stately trees, In the summer's radiant foliage clad, Are sway'd by the passing breeze. I love them best in the evening hour.^ When the silver moon pours down A flood of light, from her censer bright, On the shadowy forest's crown. The soft breeze moans thro' the rusdhig jrees, And the silvery brook afar, With a glad, clear tune, like a bird's iu June, Leaps on where the rushes are. The cricket chirps in the old stone wall. Where the velvet mosses grow, iSS AMANDA M. EDMOND. And the earnest voice of the katydid Responds from the turf below. O! tell me not of the loneliness Of the wood, nor call it drear, For a thousand, thousand living things To gladden its depths are here. Some pass me by on their pinions light, Through the trackless realms of air, .And some repose on the bending flower, Their couch in its blossoms fair. Some hide in the twisted, grass-grown roots Of the lofty oak or pine ; And some in the bark of the old fir trees. Which the ivy tendrils twine. And the answering echoes of my soul Go forth at each joyous tone, Which the humblest, tiniest creature pours In a language all its own. O ! greenwood depths ! ye are beautiful Jn the summer evening hour. And this wondering soul of mine ye thrill With a strange enchanting power. .Nay, tell me not of the crowded halls, They are solitude to me ; And the sweetest notes of the harp are nought To the tones of nature free. HAEEIETTE FANNING HEAD. Miss Read was born at Jamaica Plains, near Boston. Her father, who died when she was very young, was a bookseller and publisher, and a man of much intelligence and refined taste. Her mother's father was an officer in the British army, and distinguished himself at the battle of Camden in the Revolutionary war, where his gallantry turned the tide of success from the American to the British side, for which he re- ceived the thanks of Lord Rawdon at the head of the troops. The family were of Irish extraction, and came to this country during the disturbances in Ireland under Cromwell. Lady Morgan, in her notes to The Wild Irish Girl, says that the last of the true Irish bards of those who were poets and harpers was a Fan- ning. A predilection for war and song has run through the race. Miss Read's parents were both very desirous that their daughter should be a literary woman ; and nature seemed to second their views. At four years of age she had read Guy Mannering, at five had made good progress in the study of Latin, and at eight showed a decided taste for poetry. On her mother's removal to Boston, she was placed at school under the charge of Mr. E. Bailey, but did not remain there long on account of ill health. She then went to Washington to gain strength, and as her uncle, Colonel Fanning, had been recently married, she and her mother became members of his household. They then lived the life of soldiers, changing from one military post to another, until the frequency of these changes made them anxious for a more permanent home, and they again went to Washington. Here, and at a neighbour- ing village in Maryland, they resided until the death of Colonel Fan- ning, which occurred two years since. They now live in New York. In October, 1847, Miss Read published a volume of Dramatic Poems ; Medea, Erminia, and The New World. They are written with classic taste, and a masculine strength of expression. In February, 1848, she made her debut as an actress at the Boston theatre ; since which she has performed an engagement at Washington. As the critics in both cities have pronounced that she has the materiel 'requisite for the stage, she \ias determined to improve and develope her histrionic talent. (429) 430 harriette fanning read, medea's love. (FROM MEDEA.) MEDEA. Love is my life ! and should not I give all The treasures which the gods have granted nie, To feed its sacred and mysterious flame ? lANTHE. E'en if the flame should mount, with tyrant power^ And, 'mid her rites, consume the priestess ? MEDEA. Ay, _ To keep the flame undying I would yield My life rather than live to see it -wane, Expire, and leave my heart to dark despair! Gods, e'er I know the agony to live Unloved of him who sways my every thought, O, snatch my life, and I will bless the stroke! lANTHE. Did I not know thy soul, I should exclaim, A wife of yesterday might dream such dreams ! MEDEA. A wife of yesterday ! — Hath Love with Time Such close alliance, that old age to both Comes with the same alloy of clouds, and cares, And chill indifference to mortal joys ? Ah, no ! Time is but for the form we wear ; Love is the soul, which hath no bonds with Time. For ever young, with wing untamed, he soars On to the future, sorrow, care, and death Made radiant by his smile. lANTHE. Such love as this E'en Love himself knows not ! II A. H'R lETTE FANNING READ. 43! MEDEA. So Jason read it in Medea's heart, And feel it in his own, I care not, though The god to Lethe's waves consign his shafts. And leave the world to friendship's calmer rei^u [Enter Jason.) JASON. What, doth Medea ask for Friendship's reign .? MEDEA. Not while Love's flame survives in Jason's breast. JASON. If that expire ? MEDEA. Expire! The gods forbid! JASON. Nay, start not at a jest! MEDEA. Will my lord jest On such a theme ? As well mightst thou lav bare This heart, thine altar, tear it from its place. And cast it quivering from thy grasp to earth, As jest thus of a tie to me so dear, So sacred, that to sever it would be To loose each human feeling from my breast. To make me desperate, outcast from my kind, Hating myself, the world, and thee ! JASON. Even so! [Jisuh Thou paint- s: a Fury's not a woman's love ! But let not fancy torture thee; the world Hath real ills enough. MEDEA. But not for me ! I dread, — I kngw no ill when thou art bv. Exile and want, disgrace, the hate of men. 432 H A R R I E T T E FANNING R E -A D . And wrath of gods, I could endure, nor waste A care on tliera, so Jason lived and loved ! JASON. , The iitiid Remorse is busy at my heart. Can I again inspire such love, or lives A woman, save Medea, in whose soul A passion ardent, pure, as this can burn ? • [Aside.] MEDEA. My lord, why on this day is thy brow sad ^ JASON. Men oft have cares which women need not share. MEDEA. Hath Jason cares Medea cannot share ? Ah! strange and heavy should that sorrow be Which clouds thy heart from mine. Why speak'st thou not ? Since first our fates were joinM. Ne'er hast thou known a care or braved a toil Which by my love has not been lighter made, Or vanquish'd by my skill. JASON, Medea, list! Not grateful is it to a Avarrior's ear, That even a wife should boast her benefits : Remembrance is his part, and silence hers. MEDEA. Thou know'st that mine is not the ignoble soul Which prompts a boaster's tongue. I boast of nauglit Save of thy love, which made me what I am. Thy equaV partner, not thy household slave, — As Grecian dames to Grecian lords must be, — But v/orthy deem'd by thee to aid thy councils, To share thy wanderings, and assuage thy woes. I boast my husband when I talk of these. Tell me, whai care oppresses thee ? HARRIETTE FANNING READ. 4.33 JASON. Not long Wilt thou remain in ignorance. MEDEA. I felt Thou couldst not long exclude me from thy heart. Why does the darkness deepen on thy brow ? Thou 'rt ill! Thou canst not hide it from thy wife,— From her, who, taught by love, reads in thy glance Each shade of joy and pain. Surely thou 'rt ill I JASON. Not ill, Medea, not oppress'd with cares Beyond my own poor skill to overcome. Content thee, thou mistak'st. MEDEA. I am content, jf for Medea's sake thou 'It clear thy brow, And greet this day with smiles. JASON. And why this day? MEDEA. Is Jason's heart so changed, that he forgets The day which once he- hail'd with fondest joy ? If thou forgett'st, ah ! why should I remember That on this day I fled my native shores,- — My father's court, where I was as a queen, — Left all for Love, and in his smile found all? MEDEA's REVENGE. MEDEA. Vengeatsce hath had her perfect rites f Now, now, Welcome, ye hounds of Corinth! — for I hear Your distant voices clamouring for the prey, — Welcome ! A woman's and a mother's hand 37 ^c 134 HARRIET TE FANNING READ. From your expectant grasp hath snatch'd the victims ! In horrid safety lay the new-fledged eaglets, Whose eyes, just train'd to meet the sun's fierce glance. Relentless fate hath sealed in death. Death! — death! — Unfathomable mystery! my lips Speak thy familiar name, and yet my soul Rebels against thy power. Within my hand, Fearless, unfaltering, I hold the knife, Stern witness of thy doings, — near me lie, Insensible to hope or fear, the sons So loved, so worshipp'd, — but my heart feels not Thy presence, visible, palpable, though it be. For in the mirror of fast-flowing t§ars Imagination paints my children's forms; The music of their voices fills my ear. Enchantment of as strong, as blinding power To mortal reason, as a mother's love. Nor heaven nor hell can boast! And yet this hand, nerved by infernal rage, Hath stopp'd the gushing stream of life in veins Fed from the fountain of this heart ! Ye gods ! Dare I to talk of love ? The very fiends Mock at the sound, and, as the shivering earth Gapes 'neath my feet accursed, from the abyss Swarm the dire brood ; above, around, they pjess. They bar each avenue of escape, proclaim Me homeless and deserted of my kind, And in my tortured ear their serpent tongues Hiss forth a welcome to their vengeful band. Hence, horrid shapes ! I 'm human still ! Hell taunts, Earth shakes, mankind rejects, yet here I sink Upon the bosoms of my slaughter'd babes. Here dare repose, nor powers of earth or hell Shall fright me hence ; for here, at least, is peace. Peace to' the yoimg, pure hearts which ne'er shall thrc^b ANNA CORA MOWATT. . 435 Beneath the burden of Life's guilt and woe.^ And peace to me, who in this marble stillness Behold Heaven's dearest boon. And now one glance, One last embrace, — the last on earth ! The rose Hath scarce yet faded from your lips, my sons, The smile still lingers there, as life were loath To part from shrines so fair. Had ye awaked. As with despair's fell strength your wretched mother Grasp'd the dire steel, could I have done this deed I No, by the gods ! The heart once task'd to the bounds Of Nature's great endurance, oft a word May strike with sudden force the quivering chord, And free the wearied soul. Devoted babes. Had sleep released you from its bonds, one glance Had been Apollo's messenger ; my heart Had burst beneath its power, and ye had lived, — To glut Corinthian rage. I thank the gods It is not so ! Upon your cheeks the icy chill of death Thrills through my veins ; — ' tis well, — 1 should be stern; For one task remains, and then — to rest! The step I watch for comes. Vengeance, instruct me To teach his heart some knowledge of the pangs Which rend my own ! ANNA CORA MOWATT. Mrs. Mow ATT is a native of Bordeaux in France, where she spent the first six years of her life. She is the daughter of Mr. Samuel Gou- verneur Ogden of New York, and was married at an early age to Mr. Mowatt, a lawyer of the same city. Two years after, she published anonymously a poetical romance in five cantos, founded on the his- tory of the first king of Asturias. A satirical poem, displaying much talent and force, appeared soon after. She then returned to her native France, and spent several years there and in Germany. During hei 436 ANNA CORA MOWATT. stay on the continent, she wrote a tragedy called Gulzata, whisr. was published in New York in 1841. In the winter of 1845 her best work, Fashion, a Comedy, was acted at the Park Theatre, New York ; and was much praised at the time for the simplicity of its plot, and the spirited sarcasm which seasoned its colloquy. She is herself an actress of no ordinary skill ; and distinguished herself some years ago by the ' elocutionary readings" with which she entertained large and fashion- able audiences in New York, Boston, and other cities. TIME. Nay rail not at Time, though a tyrant he be, And say not he cometh, colossal in might, Our Beauty to ravish, put pleasure to flight. And pluck away friends, e'en as leaves from the tree; And say not Love's torch, which like Vesta's should burn The cold breath of Time soon to ashes will turn. You call Time a robber? Nay, he is not so, — While Beauty's fair temple he rudely despoils. The mind to enrich with its plunder he toils; And, sow'd in his furrows, doth . wisdom not grow .'' The magnet 'mid stars points the north still to view ; So Time 'mong our friends e'er discloses the true. Tho' cares then should gather, as pleasures flee by, Tho' Time, from thy features, the charms steal away, He'll dim too mine eye, lest it see them decay; And sorrows we've shared, will knit closer love's tie: Then I'll laugh at old Time, and at all he can do. For he '11 rob me in vain, if he leave me but you t MY LIFE. My life is a fairy ""s gay dream. And thou art the genii, whose wand Tints all things around with the beam, The bloom of Titana's bright land. ANNA CORA MO WATT. 437 A wish to my lips never sprung, A hope in my eyes never shone, But, ere it was breathed by my tongue, To grant it thy footsteps have flown. Thy joys, they have ever been mine, Thy^ sorrows, too often thine own, The sun that on me still would shine, O'er thee threv/ its shadows alone. Life's garland then let us divide. Its roses I'd fain see thee wear, For one — but I know thou wilt chide — Ah ! leave me its thorns, love, to bear ! LOVE. Thou conqueror's conqueror, mighty Love! to thee Their crowns, their laurels, kings and heroes yield ! Lo ! at thy shrine great Antony bows the knee. Disdains his victor wreath, and flies the field ! From woman's lips Alcides lists thy tone. And grasps the inglorious distafl" for his sword ! An eastern sceptre at thy feet i^ thrown, A nation's worshipp'd idol owns thee Lord!* And well for Noorjehan his throne became. When erst she ruled his empire in thy name ! The sorcerer, Jarchas, could to age restore Youth's faded bloom, or childhood's vanish'd glee; Magician, Love ! canst thou not yet do more ? Is not the faithful heart kept young by thee ? *The Emperor Jehangheer was so devotedly attached to his favourite Sultana, Noorjehan, that at her solicitation he granted her absolute pov^er over his empire for a day. 37* 438 LUCYHOOPER. But ne'er that traitor bosom forai'd to stray, Those perjured lips which twice thy vows have breathed Can know the rapture of thy magic sway, Or find the balsam in thy garland wreathed ; Fancy, or Folly, may his breast have moved. But he who wanders, never truly loved. LUCY HOOPER. This lovely girl was born in Newbury port, Massachusetts, on the 4th of February, 1816. Her father, Mr. Joseph Hooper, was a higlily respectable merchant, a man of strong mind, considerable cultivation, and decided piety. From this excellent parent Lucy received her entire education, and to his unremitting watchfulness and affectionate counsels she fondly attributed all the merits of her character. She was a docile, gentle child, full of quiet love and reverence ; her health was always so delicate that her careful friends were obliged to restrain her desires after study and meditation, which were so lively and deep-rooted as to wear upon the little strength her fragile frame possessed. She was passionately fond of flowers, *id of all the bountiful gifts of nature, and devoted much time to the knowledge of botany and chemistry. • Her habits of orderly systematic application were admirable, and by their means her mind was stored with valuable information of various kinds. Ancient and modern history, and classic English literature, were dili-. gently studied, while she also became well versed in the Latin, French, and Spanish languages. When Miss Hooper was fifteen, her family removed to Brooklyn, L. L, where she resided until her death. Soon after this removal ehe began to contribute to The Long Island Star, to The New Yorker, and other periodicals, under the simple initials L. H. In 1840, a volume of her prose articles was published, called Scenes from Real Life ; which, witli the Essay on Domestic Happiness, proved her to liUCY HOOPER. 439 be a writer of mucn taste, reflection, and good judgment. She loved oest, however, to express her thoughts and feelings in verse ; then she wrote freely, without effort, and with that feeling of relief and delight in the act, which is natural to the true poet. During her short life. Miss Hooper suffered much from bereavement; her father, and severa. other near relatives closely entwined around her loving heart, preceded her to the tomb. These afflictions, and the hopeless but flattering malady whicli was undermining her constitution, subdued and saddened her character, and shed a certain tender melancholy over all her thoughts. A few weeks before her death, she prepared a work for publication called The Poetry of Flowers, and also projected a volume of prose on a larger scale, but in the same style, as her Scenes from Real Life. But the summons came on the 1st of August, 1841, and ended in her twenty-fourth year all her industrious plans for future usefulness. In 1842, her Poetical Remains were collected and ar- ranged, and published with an interesting Memoir from the eloquent pen of Mr. John Keese. Another edition of her writings, both in prose and poetry, has recently a'^peared. Bat we must hasten to give a few specimens of her poetic genius, — marked as they are by elevation of thought and refined sweetness of expression, — though we could linger long over the memory of Lucy Hooper, the good, the gifted, and the pure. "time, faith, energy ?)* High words and hopeful! — fold them to thy heart, Time, Faith and Energy, are gifts sublime; Jf thy lone bark the threatening waves surround, Make them of all thy silent thoughts a part. When thou wouldst cast thy pilgrim-staff away, Breathe to thy soul their high, mysterious sound. And liiint not in the noontide of thy day,, — Wait thou for Timef Wait thou for Time — the slow-unfolding flower Chides man's impatient haste with long delay; ♦ Suggested by a passage in Biilwer's " Night and Morning." 440 LUCY HOOPER. ' The harvest ripening in the autumnal sun, — The golden fruit of suffering's weighty power Within the soul; — like soft bells' silvery chime Repeat the tones, if fame may not be won. Or if the heart where thou shouldst find a shrine, Breathe forth no blessing on thy lonely way Wait thou for Time — it hath a sorcerer's power To dim life's mockeries that gaily, shine, To lift the veil of seeming from the real. Bring to thy soul a rich or fearful dower. Write golden tracery on the sands of life, And raise the drooping heart from scenes ideal, To a high purpose in a world of strife. Wait thou for Xime ! Yea, wait for Time, but to thy heart take Faith, Soft beacon-light upon a stormy sea; A mantle for the pure in heart, to pass Through a dim world, untouch'd by living death ; 'a cheerful watcher through the spirit's night. Soothing the grief from which she may not flee ; — A herald of glad news — a seraph bright. Pointing to sheltering havens yet to be. Yea, Faith and Time, and thou that through the houi Of the lone night hast nerved the feeble hand. Kindled the weary heart with sudden fire. Gifted the drooping soul with living power. Immortal Energy! shalt thou not be. While the old tales our wayward thoughts inspire, Linked with each vision of high destiny. Till on the fadeless borders of that land Where all is known we find our certain way. And lose ye, 'mid its pure efi^ilgent light? LUCY HOOPER. 441 Kind ministers, who cheerM us in our gloom, Seraphs who lighten'd griefs with guiding ray. Whispering through tears of cloudless glory dawning, Say, in the gardens of eternal bloom Will not our hearts, when breaks the cloudless morning, Joy that ye led us through the drooping night ? IT IS WE LL. Written after being shown the inscription on the grave of a child in the Brooklyn church-yard, bearing only the date, the age, and these simple words, " It is well.'^ 'TwAS a low grave they led me to, o'ergrown With violets of the Spring, and starry moss. And all the sweet wild flow'rets that disclose Their hues and fragrance round the dreamless couch, As if to tell how quietly the head That here had throbb'd so feverishly, doth rest. 'Twas a low grave, and the soft zephyrs play'd Gently around it; and the setting sun Gleam'd brightly on the marble at its head, Bearing the date — the name — the few brief years, ■ Of one whose blessed "iot it was to pass To the fair Land of Promise, ere the chill And blight of this dark world had power to cast A shade on life's pure blossom ; while the dew Of morning was upon its leaves, and all The outward world was beauty; ere the eye Had ever wept in secret, or the heart Grown heavy with a sorrow unconfess'd. Was it a bitter lot? That stainless stone Answer'd the query; but one line it bore — One brief inscription, thrilling the deep heart Of those who, leaning o'er that narrow mound. Mused over life's vain sorrow : 442 LUCY HOOPER. "It is well." Ay, the deep words had meaning 5 but what grief Had taught the lone survivors thus to count The sum of all, and, struggling with their tears, Write only — " It is well ?" Oh ! well for her To rest on that green earth — to lay the head Unwearied on its bosom, and to seek A refuge from the coldness of the world, Ere yet its shaft had pierced her. " It is well." And, oh! for us who, musing o'er that grave. Sigh for the rest a stranger's breast hath found, Were it not well, in the heart's hour of grief, When Earth is dim, and all her shining streams Discourse no more in music to our ears — When shadows rest upon her brightest flowers, And the continual sorrow of the soul Doth darken sun and moon, to dream at last Of a still rest beneath the lowly stone — A calm, unbroken slumber, where the eye Shall weep no more in sadness, and the pulse Forget its quick, wild throbbings ? O'er that grave Such were my musings, till a deeper truth Broke on my mind, as the blue violet shed Its sweetness round me, and the evening winds Brought fragrance from afar; and then I pray'd, In lowliness of heart, that I might bear In faith " the heat and burden of the day," And never, till His purpose was fulfilPd, And every errand He had set perform'd In trusting patience, sigh for dreamless rest, . Nor till th' impartial pen of Truth could write Above that quiet refuge — "It is well." LUCY HOOPER. 443 THE OLD DAYS WE REMEMBER. The old days we remember, How softly did they glide, While all untouch'd by worldly care, We wander'd side by side. In those pleasant days, when the sun's last rays Just linger'd on the hill, Or the moon's pale light with the coming night Shone o'er our pathway still. % The old days we remember, — Oh! there's nothing like them now. The glow has faded from our hearts. The blossom from the bough; In the chill of care, 'midst worldly air, Pefthance we are colder grown, For stormy weather, since we roam'd together, The hearts .of both have known. The old days we remember, — Oh! clearer shone the sun. And every star look'd brighter far, Than they ever since have done ! On the very streams there linger'd gleams Of light ne'er seen before. And the running brook a music took Our souls can hear no more! The old days we remember, — Oh! could we but go back To their quiet hours, and tread once more Their bright familiar track. Could we picture again, what we pictured then. Of the sunny jyvorld that lay 444 LUCY HOOPER. From the green hillside, and the waters wide, And our glad hearts far away. The old days we remember, When we never dream'd of guile, Nor knew that the heart could be cold below, While the lip still w^ore its smile ! Oh ! we may not forget, for those honrs come yet, They visit us in sleep, While far -and wide, o'er life's changing tide, Our barks asunder keep. * Still, still we must remember Life's first and brightest days. And a passing tribute render As we tread the busy maze; A bitter sigh for the hours gone by. The dreams that might not last, ^ The friends deem'd true when our hopes were ncw^ And the glorious visions past! GIVE ME ARMOUR OF PROOF. Give me armour of proof, I must ride to the plain ; Give me armour of proof, ere the trump sound again : To the halls of my childhood no more am T known, And the nettle must rise where the myrtle hath blown. Till the conflict is over, the battle is past — Give me armour of proof — I am true to the last! Give rhe armour of proof — bring me helmet and spear; Away ! shall the warrior's cheek own a tear ? Bring the steel of Milan — 'tis the firmest and best, And bind on my bosom its closely-link'd vest. Where the head of a loved one in fondness hath lain. Whose tears fell at parting like warm summer rain! LUCY HOOTER. 445 Give me armour of proof — I have torn from my heart Each soft tie and true that forbade me to part; Bring the sword of Damascus, its blade cold and bright, That bends not in conflict, but gleams in the fight; And stay — let me fasten yon scarf on my breast, Love's light pledge and true — I will answer the rest! Give me armour of proof — shall the cry be in vain, When to life's sternest conflicts we rush forth amain? The knight clad in armour the battle may bide; But woe to the heedless when bendeth the tried; And woe to youth's morn, when v/e rode forth alone, To the conflict unguarded, its gladness hath flown! Give us armour of proof — our hopes were all high ; But they pass'd like the meteor lights from the sky; Our hearts' trust was firm, but life's waves swept away One by one the frail ties which were shelter and stay; And true was our love, but its bonds broke in twain : Give me armour of proof, ere we ride forth again. Give me armour of proof — we would turn from the view Of a world that is fading to one that is true ; We would lift up each thought from this earth-shaded lighli To the regions above, where there stealeth no blight; And with Faith's chosen shield by no dark tempests riven, We would gaze from earth's storms on the brightness of heaven ! EMILY E. JUDSON. Every one who has been at all conversant with Americar magazine literature, during the last four or five years, is acquainted with the name of Fanny Forester ; and every one who loves truth, nature, and simplicity, hails it as the name of a friend. It was in June, 1844, tha' Miss Emily Chubbock first signed herself by this pleasant nom de plume, under an article written for the New Mirror, then recently established by Morris and Willis. Before this her talents had never been recog- nised by the literary world ; though she had quietly employed her pen in writing many little works of a religious character, and had also at an early age been a contributer to the Knickerbocker Magazine. She is a' native of central New York, received a superior education, and filled the ofiice of a teacher in the female seminary at Utica for many years. In 1847 she was married to the Rev. Mr. Judson, and accompanied him on his return to India, the field of his missionary labours. On the eve of her departure from her native land, her various sketches, essays, and poems, were collected and published in a volume, under the title of Alderbrook. Her vivid and glowing pictures of natural scenery, her graphic and artless manner of describing country life, and the pure bright spirit of love and joy that shines upon all she touches, have made her prose writings universally admired. As a poetess she has not so much talent, though occasionally, as in the following lines, she displays great beauty and tenderness. They were written at Maulmain, in January, 1848. M Y B I RD. Ere last year's moon had left the sky A birdling sought my Indian nest, And folded, oh! so lovingly! Her tiny wings upon my breast. From morn till evening's purple tinge, In winsome helplessness she lies ; Two rose-leaves, with a silken fringe. Shut softly on her starry eyes. (446) EMILY E. JUDSON. 447 There 's not in Ind a lovelier bird ; Broad earth owns not a happier nest; O God, thou hast a fountain stirr'd, Whose waters never more shall rest. This beautiful, mysterious thing, This seeming visitant from Heaven, This bird with the immortal wing, To me — to me, thy hand has given. The pulse first caught its tiny stroke. The blood its crimson hue from mine:— • This life, which I have dared invoke, Henceforth is parallel with thine. A siJen't awe is in my room — 1 tremble with delicious fear; The future, with its light and gloom, Time and Eternity are here. Doubts — hopes, in eager tumult rise; Hear, O my God! one earnest prayer Room for my bird in Paradise, And give her angel plumage there ! MY MOTHER. Give me my old seat, mother. With my head upon thy knee; 1 've pass'd through many a changing scene Since thus I sat by thee. Oh ! let me look into thine eyes — Their meek, soft, loving light Falls, like a gleam of holiness, Upon my heart to-night. 448 EMILY E. JUDSON. I've not been long away, mother; Few suns have rose and set, Since last the tear-drop on thy cheek My lips in kisses met : 'Tis but a little time, I know, But very long it seems. Though every night I came to thee, Dear mother, in my dreams. The world has kindly dealt, mother, By the child thou lov'st so well*, Thy prayers have circled round her path. And 'twas their holy spell Which made that path so dearly bright. Which strew'd the roses there. Which gave the light, and cast the balii^ On every breath of air. I bear a happy heart, mother, A happier never beat; And even now new buds of hope Are bursting at my feet. Oh, mother ! life may be " a dream,"" But, if such dreams are given. While at the portal thus we stand, What are the truths of Heaven ! I bear a happy heart, mother, Yet, when fond eyes I see. And hear soft tones, and winning word% I ever think of thee. And then, the tear my spirit weeps Unbidden fills my eye; And, like a homeless dove, I long Unto thy breast to fly. ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. 449 Then^ I am very sad, mother, I'm very sad and lone; Oh! there's no heart, whose inmost fold Opes to me like thine own! Though sunny smiles wreathe blooming lips, While love-tones meet my ear; My mother, one fond glance of thine Were thousand times more dear. Then, with a closer clasp, mother. Now hold me to thy heart; I'd feel it beating 'gainst my own Once more before w^e part. And, mother, to this love-lit spot. When I am far away. Come oft — too oft thou canst not come — And for thy darling pray. ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. Miss Lynch was born in Burlington, Vermont. Her father was an Irish patriot, who, at an early age, accompanied the noble and high- souled Emmett to this country after the struggle of '98. Her mother was a daughter of Colonel Grey, a brave soldier and distinguished offi- cer in the American revolutionary army. With such blood in her veins, she lawfully inherits that pure fervent patriotism, that genuine love for the just and the free, and that indignant scorn for oppression and tyranny, which so often distinguish her poems. There is, indeed, about them, a strength, a bravery, a soldier-like sincerity. Hope, faith, energy, en- durance, victory, are the noble lessons they nobly teach. Yet they are as delicately beautiful as they are vigorous, and possess as much deep 38* 2d 450 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. and unaffected feeling, as moral power. "To speak nobly, compre- hends to feel profoundly." They sink into the heart, softening and purifying it; while they stir up the mind, awaking it to see with a clearer eye the shadows and substances of life, the real value of its worthless joys, and of its priceless sorrows. Miss Lyncti's sonnets aro choice; showing that perfect finish of form, and condensation of idenj which is never attained but by well-disciplined minds severe upon them- selves. They are all precious stones; and though some, of course, ma^ be of higher value than others, still, all are pure gems from a mine of richest thought. Miss Lynch has been preparing lately a volume of poems for publication ; we can hope nothing better for it, than that ilt- reception and reputation may be equal to its excellence.* WASTED FOUNTAINS. And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters ; they came to the pits and found no water ; they returned with their vessels empty — Jeremiah, xiv. 3. When the youthful fever of the soul Is av/aken'd in thee first, And thou go'st like Judah's children forth To slake the burning thirst, And when dry and wasted like the springs Sought by that little band, Before thee, in life's emptiness, Life's broken cisterns stand ; When the golden fruits that tempted thee Turn to ashes on the taste. And thine early visions fade and pass. Like the mirage of the waste; When faith darkens, and hopes vanish In the shade of coming years. And the urn thou bear'st is empty, Or o'erflowing with thy tears ; * Published by C Putnam. New York. Jan. 1849. ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. 451 Though the transient springs have fail'd thee Though the founts of youth are dried, Wilt thou among the mouldering stones In weariness abide ? Wilt thou sit among the ruins, With all words of love unspoken, Till the silver cord is loosen'd, * Till the golden bowl is broken ? Up and onward! toward the East Green oases thou shalt find, — ^ Streams that rise from higher sources Than the pools thou leav'st behind. Life has import more inspiring Than the fancies of thy youth ; It has hopes as high as Heaven, It has labour, it has truth. It has wrongs that may be righted. Noble deeds that may be done; Its great battles are unfought. Its great triumphs are unwon. There is rising from its troubled deeps A low, unceasing moan; There are aching, there are breaking, Other hearts besides thine own. From strong limbs that should be chainless, There are fetters to unbind; There are words to raise the fallen. There is light to give the blind. There are crush'd and broken spirits, That electric thoughts may thrill ; Lofty dreams to be embodied By the might of one strong will. 452 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH, There are God and Heaven above thee, Wilt thou languish in despair? Tread thy griefs beneath thy feet, Scale the walls of Heaven by prayer. 'T is the key of the Apostle «rrhat will open Heaven below ; 'Tis the ladder of the Patriarch, Whereon angels come and go. SONNE T. The honey-bee, that wanders all day long The field, the woodland, and the garden o'er^ To gather in his fragrant winter store. Humming in calm content his quiet song, Seeks not alone the rose's glowing breast. The lily's dainty cup, the violet's lips, But from all rank and noisome weeds he sips The single drop of sweetness ever prest Within the poison chalice. Thus if we Seek only to draw forth the hidden s\^eet In all the varied human flowers we meet In the wide garden of humanity. And, like the bee, if home the spoil we bear. Hived in our hearts it turns to nectar there. SONNET. (on seeing the ivory statue of CHRIST.) The enthusiast brooding in his cell apart O'er the sad image of the Crucified, The drooping head, closed lips, and pierced side, A holy vision fills his raptured heart; ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. 453 With heavenly power inspked, his unskilPd arm Shapes the rude block to this transcendarxt form. Oh ! Son of God ! thus, ever thus, would I Dwell on the loveliness enshrined in thee; The lofty faith, the sweet humility. The boundless love, the love that could not die. And as the sculptor, with thy glory warm. Gives to this chiselPd ivory thy fair forni. So would my spirit in thy thought divine Grow to a semblance, fair as this, of Thine. SONNET. Go forth in life, oh friend, not seeking love; — A mendicant that with imploring eye And outstretchM hand asks of the passers-by The alms his strong necessities may move : For such poor love, to pity near allied, Thy generous spirit may not stoop and wait — A suppliant whose prayer may be denied Like a spurn'd beggar's at a palace gate — But thy heart's affluence lavish, uncontroll'd. The largess of thy love, give full and free, As monarchs in their progress scatter gold; And be thy heart like the exhaustless sea. That must its wealth of cloud and dew bestow, Though tributary streams or ebb or flow. SONNET. Night closes round me, and wild threatening forms Clasp me with icy arms and chain me down, And bind upon my brow a cypress crown Dewy with tears, and heaven frowns dark with storms But the one glorious memory of thee i54 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. Rises upon my path to light and bless. The bright Shekinah of the wilderness, • The polar star upon a trackless sea, The beaming Pharos of the unreach'd shoic-, — Jt spans the clouds that gather o'er my way, The rainbow of my life's tempestuous day. Oh, blessed thought! stay with me evermore. And shed thy lustrous beams where midnight glooms^ As fragrant lamps burn'd in the ancient tombs. SONNE T. As some dark stream within a cavern's breast Flows murmuring, moaning for the distant sun, So, ere I met thee, murmuring its unrest. Did my life's current coldly, darkly run. And as that stream beneath the sun's full gaze Its separate course and life no more maintains, But now absorb'd, transfused, far o'er the plains It floats, etherialized in those warm- rays — So, in the sunlight of thy fervid love, My heart so long to earth's dark channels given, Now soars, all doubt, all pain, all ill above, And breathes the a3ther of the upper heaven ; So thy high spirit holds and governs mine. So is my life, my being lost in thine. S ONNE T. The mountain lake, o'ershadow'd by the hills. May still gaze heavenward on the evening star. Whose distant light its dark recesses fills, Though boundless distance must divide them far. Still may the lake the star's bright image wear; Still may the star, from its blue ether dome. Shower down its silver beams across the gloom //' ' / W/V/v.;//' ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. 455 And light the wave that wanders darkly there Oh, my life's star! thus do I turn to Ihee, Amid the shadows that above me roll, Thus from my distant sphere thou shin'st on me, Thus does thine image float upon my soul. Through the wide space that must our lives dissever, Far as the lake and star, ah ! me, for ever ! DAY-DAWN IN ITALY. Italia ! in thy bleeding heart I thought 'e'er hope was dead, That from thy scarr'd and prostrate form The spark of life had fled. I thought as memory's sunset glow Its radiance o'er thee cast. That all thy glory and thy fame Were buried in the past. Twice mistress of the world! I thought Thy star had set in gloom. That all thy shrines and monuments Were but thy spirit tomb ; The mausoleum of the world Where Art her spoils might keep; Where pilgrims from all shrines might come To wander and to weep. The thunders of the Vatican Had long since died away. Saint Peter's chair seem'd tottering, And crumbling to decay. Thy ancient line of Pontiff kings Were to the past allied; And oft in Freedom's holy ward They fought not on her side. 456 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. The sacred honour of the Cross Was trailing, soil'd, and torn; And often had the hostile ranks That blessed ensign borne. But from her death-like slumber now, The seven-hilled city wakes; • . Italia! on thy shrouded sky A gleam of morning breaks. Along the Alps and Appenines Runs an electric thrill; A golden splendour lights once more The Capitolian hill. And hopes bright as thy sunny skies Are o'er thy future cast ; The future that upon thee beams As glorious as thy past. The laurels that thy Caesars wore Were dyed with crimson stains; Their triumphs glitter'd with the .spoil, Won on the battle plains. But for thy Pontiff Prince to-day A laurel mightst thou twine, Unsullied as the spotless life He lays upon thy shrine. For him might the triumphal car Ascend the hill again; No slaves bound to the chariot wheels Should swell the lenorthen'd train. Such trains as in her proudest days Was never seen in Rome — Of captives from the dungeon freed — Of exiles welcomed home. ANNE CHARLOTTELYNCH. 457 When gazing on the doubtful strife, The Hebrew leader pray'd ; The friends of Israel gather'd round, His drooping hands they stay'd. And thus around the Patriarch's chair The friends of Freedom stand — All eager, though it falters not, To stay his lifted hand. And in a clearer, firmer tone, I heard their rallying cry; From Etna to the Alps it sounds, "For God and Liberty!" BOOKS FOR THE PEOPLE. "Let there be light." Light to the darken'd mind Bear like the sun the world's wide circle round, Bright messengers that speak without a sound? Sight on the spirit-blind Shall fall -where'er ye pass ; your living ray Shall change the night of ages into day ; God speed ye on your way! In closet and in hall. Too long alone your ijiessage hath been spoken; The spell of gold that bound ye there is broken, Go forth and shine on all! The world's inheritance, the legacy Bequeathed by Genius to the race are ye, Be like the sunlight, free! A mighty power ye wield! Ye wake grim centuries from their repose, 39 458 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. And bid their hoarded treasuries unclose, The spoils of time to yield. Ye hold the gift of immortality; Bard, sage, and seer, whose fame shall never die, Live through your ministry. Noiseless upon your path, Freighted with love, romance, and song, ye speed •, Moving the world in custom and in creed, Waking its love or wrath. Tyrants, that blench not on the battle-plain, Quail- at your silent coming, and in vain Would bind the riven chain. Shrines that embalm great souls Where yet the illustrious dead high converse hold. As gods spake through their oracles of old ! Upon your mystic scrolls There lives a spell to guide our destiny; The fire by night, the pillar'd cloud by day. Upon our upward way. LINES., (ON READING SOME VERSES ENTITLED "a FAREWELL TO LOVE.") Oh! stern indeed must be that minstrel's heart. In the world's dusty highway doom'd to move. Who with life's sunshine and its flowers can part. Who strikes his harp and sings Farewell to Love. To Love ! that beam which covers all our light, As the red rays illume the light of day, Whose rose-hue, once extinguish'd from the sight. Leaves the life-landscape of a dull, cqld gray. ANNE CHARLOTTE LYifCH. 459 I'o Love! the ethereal, the Promethean spirit, •That bids this dust with life divine be movea; The only memory that we still inherit Of the lost Eden Avhere our parents roved. Oh! hopeless bard! recall that farewell strain, Nor from thy breast let this foncl faith depart j Recall that utterance of thy cold disdain. Thy doubt of Love, the atheism of the heart. ODE. (adapted to the music of the MARSEILLAISE HYMK.) A nation's birthday breaks in glory! Songs from her hills and valleys rise, And myriad hearts thrill to the story Of freedom's wars and victories ; When God's right arm alone was o'er her, And in her name the patriot band With sacred blood baptized their land. And England's lion crouch'd before her! Sons of the Emerald Isle ! She bids you rend your chain, And tell the haughty ocean-queen. Ye, too, are free-born men! Long has the world look'd on in sorrow, As Erin's sun-burst* set in night; Joy, joy ! there breaks a brighter morrow, Behold a beam of morning light! A ray of hope her night redeeming; And she greets it, though there lower England's scaffolds, England's Tower, And though hireling swords are gleaming. * Tke ancient flag of Ireland. 460 ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. Wild shouts on every breeze Come swelling o'er the sea, — Hark! 'tis her starving millions cry, "Give Ireland liberty!" THE WOUNDED VULTURE. This incident is beautifully related in Miss Bremer^s Diary. A KINGLY vulture sat alone, Lord of the ruin round. Where Egypt's ancient monuments Upon the desert frown'd. A hunter's eager eye had mark'd The form of that proud bird. And through the voiceless solitude His ringing shot was heard. It rent that vulture's plumed breast, Aim'd with unerring hand, And his life-blood gushed warm and red Upon the yellow sand. No struggle mark'd the deadly woun