The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-18 00:00:00

pottrp.

THE OLD FAMILIAR STRAIN

BY R. S. MACKENZIE, LL.D

Sing me that old familiar strain,
Which touched my heart in boyhood's years,
Before its chords were jarred by pain,
Before its hopes were dimmed by tears.
Time has fled fast since first I heard.
Its music from those hpi of thine ;
But well remembered is each word—
So sing once more, oh, Mary mine,
The old familiar strain !

Thine eyes have their soft radiance kept,
Thit won my heart in life's young spring;
And o'er thy beauty Time hath swept
Gently, with light and charmed wing.
Unaltered is thy graceful form,
Thy trusting heart is still the same,
Keeping those true affections warm
As when, before I dreamt of fame,
You sang me that old strain.

Yes, sing !—as in those golden hours
When life, and love, and hope were young,—
When fancy strewed our path with flowers,—
Oh ! sing the strain that then you sung !
Your voice may have a sadder tone
Than made sweet music in that time,
Ere grief or trials we had known,
When first you sang in youthful prime
That old familiar strain.

Methinks that on thy placid brow—
So lightly touched by furrowing years,
Since first we plighted love's fond vow—
Thought's graver shadow now appears;
But yet, if in thy very mirth
Remembrance of our Dead will come,
Strong ties yet bind thee to the earth—
So breathe once more within our home
The old familiar strain !

LITERARY NOTICES.

[The following have been some days prepared, but press of
matter bas prevented their appearance.]

Blackwood. Blackwood, Edinburgh

This month Blackwood is rich in its contents. Student
and idler—the man who reads for information, and he who
skims over the pages pour passer le temps—will find matter
to occupy their attention. The first will be greatly pleased
with an article entitled the " Pagan Oracles," a long but
learned contribution. In the next paper some interesting
statements and anecdotes are told connected' with the Scotch
fisheries on the East Coast. " Caleb Stukely, the Student
at Cambridge," is continued. " The Portraits at Versailles"
will delight the connoisseur in the fine arts. The poem,
" 'Tis hard to die in Spring," appeared in our last paper :
it is beautifully written. " The Northern Circuit " is an
admirably-told tale, another of the series commenced in last
month's number. " The World of London, No. X.," we
quoted from in our last publication. The subjects treated
upo4 are ".London Recreations," •' Social Relaxations,"
" Going in State," " The Parks and Gardens," " Fairs,"
and " The Derby Day." These papers exhibit an extraor-
dinary knowledge of human nature, and a degree of obser-
vation quite remarkable. " Things of the Day, No. 2,"
are excellently treated upon. We can recommend this num-

ber to notice, as there are several other subjects admirably
handled. " Roatnings in Rome " contain some amusing
particulars, and will well repay perusal. The following ex-

tract is a specimen :

A ROMAN EXECUTION UNDER GREGORY XVI.—" Yes-
terday (January 20), at the corners of the streets, small
groups of persons were seen standing to read a slip of written
paper, about the size of a common bill of exchange—such a
slip of paper as might extemporise a reward of a few psoli
for the finding of a lost reticule. We looked over a tall fel-
low's shoulder, and read that aged 40, for parricide
committed on his mother, and Tagliacozze, for the as-
sassination of his friend, were to be led for decapitation on
the following morning, at fifteen o'clock, in the street of the
Circus Maximus. At seven the following morning, we ac-

cordingly set off to see a guillotine among the ruins of ancient
Rome ! We put ourselves out of breath in ascending the
Quirinal from the Piazza Barberini, where we live ; we