Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

'Tis the divinity that stirs within us,
'Tis heaven itself, that points out an here-
after

And intimates eternity to man.

Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought!
Through what variety of untried being,
Through what new scenes and changes, must

we pass?

The wide, the unbounded prospect lies before

me,

But shadows, clouds and darkness rest upon it.

Here will I hold. If there's a power above

us

And that there is all Nature cries aloud
Through all her works-he must delight in

virtue,

And that which he delights in must be happy.

But when? or where? This world was made for Cæsar.

I'm weary of conjectures. This must end
them.

[Laying his hand
upon his sword.
Thus am I doubly armed: my death and life,
My bane and antidote, are both before me.
This in a moment brings me to an end,
But this informs me I shall never die.
The soul, secured in her existence, smiles
At the drawn dagger and defies its point.
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself
Grow dim with age and Nature sink in years,
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the wars of elements,
The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.

[blocks in formation]

Of the vast palace were astir, and feet
Glided along the tessellated floors
With a pervading murmur, and the fount
Whose music had been all the night unheard
Played as if light had made it audible,
And each one, waking, blessed it unaware.
The fragrant strife of sunshine with the morn
Sweetened the air to ecstasy; and now
The king's wont was to lie upon his couch
Beneath the sky-roof of the inner court,
And, shut in from the world, but not from
heaven,

Play with his loved son by the fountain's
lip;

What means this heaviness that hangs upon For with idolatry confessed alone
To the rapt wires of his reproofless harp
This lethargy that creeps through all my He loved the child of Bathsheba.

me,

And

[blocks in formation]

The golden selvedge of his robe was heard Sweeping the marble pavement, from within Broke forth a child's laugh suddenly, and words

Articulate, perhaps, to his heart only— Pleading to come to him. They brought the boy

An infant cherub, leaping as if used
To hover with that motion upon wings
And marvellously beautiful. His brow
Had the inspired uplift of the king's,
And kingly was his infantine regard,
But his ripe mouth was of the ravishing
mould

Of Bathsheba's-the hue and type of love,
Rosy and passionate; and oh, the moist
Unfathomable blue of his large eyes
Gave out its light as twilight shows a star,
And drew the heart of the beholder in;
And this was like his mother.

David's lips

Moved with unuttered blessings, and a while
He closed the lids upon his moistened eyes,
And with the round cheek of the nestling boy
Pressed to his bosom sat as if afraid
That but the lifting of his lids might jar
His heart's cup from its fulness. Unob-
served,

A servant of the outer court had knelt
Waiting before him, and a cloud the while

The servant bowed himself to earth and said,

"Nathan the prophet cometh from the Lord." And David's lips grew white, and with a clasp

Which wrung a murmur from the frighted child

He drew him to his breast and covered him With the long foldings of his robe, and said,

"I will come forth. Go now." And lingeringly,

With kisses on the fair uplifted brow,

And mingled words of tenderness and prayer
Breaking in tremulous accents from his lips,
He gave to them the child and bowed his
head

Upon his breast with agony. And so
To hear the errand of the man of God
He fearfully went forth.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Had rapidly spread o'er the summer heaven, The servants who kept watch without the

And as the chill of the withdrawing sun.
Fell on the king he lifted up his eyes
And frowned upon the servant; for that hour
Was hallowed to his heart and his fair child,
And none might seek him. And the king

arose

And with a troubled countenance looked up To the fast-gathering darkness, and, behold,

door

Sat motionless; the purple casement shades From the low windows had been rolled away To give the child air, and the flickering light That all the night within the spacious court Had drawn the watcher's eyes to one spot only

Paled with the sunrise and fled in.

[graphic][merged small]

And hushed With more than stillness was the room where lay

To thy bright mercy-seat the way is far! How fail the weak words while the heart keeps on!

The king's son on his mother's breast. His And when the spirit mournfully at last

[blocks in formation]

Or something that would fain have been a Crept to the threshold and looked earn

[blocks in formation]

Played in his parted mouth; and, though his Where the king lay. And still, while Bathlids

Hid not the blue of his unconscious eyes,
His senses seemed all peacefully asleep,
And Bathsheba in silence blessed the morn,
That brought back hope to her. But when
the king

Heard not the voice of the complaining

child,

Nor breath from out the room, nor foot astir,
But morning there so welcomeless and still,
He groaned and turned upon his face. The
nights

Had wasted and the mornings come and days
Crept through the sky unnumbered by the
king

sheba

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Since the child sickened, and without the Upon his face and rend himself and weepFor while the child was sick his agony Would bear no comforters and they had

door,

Upon the bare earth prostrate, he had lain,
Listening only to the moans that brought
Their inarticulate tidings, and the voice
Of Bathsheba, whose pity and caress,
In loving utterance all broke with tears,
Spoke as his heart would speak if he were
there

And filled his prayer with agony. O God!

thought

His heartstrings with the tidings must give

way

Behold! his face grew calm, and, with his
robe

Gathered together like his kingly wont,
He silently went in.

[blocks in formation]

Speed to his sword and vigor to his arm;
For this he supplicates the god afar,

PIRIT of light and life, when battle Fronts the steeled foe and mingles in the

SPIRIT

rears

Her fiery brow and her terrific spears,
When red-mouthed cannon to the clouds up-

roar

And gasping thousands make their beds in

gore,

While on the billowy bosom of the air
Roll the dread notes of anguish and despair,
Unseen thou walkst upon the smoking
plain,

And hearst each groan that gurgles from the
slain.

war.

The cannon's hushed; nor drum nor clarion

sound;

Helmet and hauberk gleam upon the ground;
Horseman and horse lie weltering in their

gore;

Patriots are dead and heroes dare no more;
While solemnly the moonlight shrouds the

plain

And lights the lurid features of the slain.

List! War-peals thunder on the battle-field, And see on this rent mound, where daisies

And many a hand grasps firm the glittering shield,

As on, with helm and plume, the warriors

come,

And the glad hills repeat their stormy
drum.
And now are seen the youthful and the gray
With bosoms firing to partake the fray;

sprung,

A battle-steed beneath his rider flung;
Oh, nevermore he'll rear with fierce delight,
Roll his red eyes and rally for the fight.
Pale on his bleeding breast the warrior lies,
While from his ruffled lids the white swelled
eyes

The first, with hearts that consecrate the Ghastly and grimly stare upon the skies.

deed,

All

eager rush to vanquish or to bleed,

Like young waves racing in the morning sun,
That rear and leap with reckless fury on.

Afar, with bosom bared unto the breeze,
White lips and glaring eyes and shivering

knees,

« ForrigeFortsett »