The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-07-08
SHALUM AND HILpA--coScLuDED.


The letter inserted in my last had so good an
effect upon Hilpa, that she answered 1t An less
than Twelve month, after the following manner.
"Hilpa, Mistress oftAe Valfes, to STADIUM, Mas
ter Of Mount Irzah.
"n the 7S9M gear Of the Creation.
"What have to do with thee, 0 Shslum Thou
praisest IIpa's beauty. but art thou secretly
euannored with the verdure Of her meadows !! Art
thou not more affected with the prospect her
green vallies than thou wouldst be with the sight
Of her personl The lowirgs of my herds, and
the bleating of my flocks, make pleasant echo in
Thy mount Tins, and sound sweety in thy ears.
What though am delighted with the wavings OF
the forests, and those breezes of perfumes, which
flow from the top OF Tirzah are these ike the
riches Of the valley
81 knew thee, o Shalum thou art more wise
and happy than any Of the sons Of men, Thy
dwellings are among the cedars, thou searchest
out the diversity of soils, thou understandest the
influences of the stars, and markest the change OF
seasons. Can woman appear lovely in the eyes
of such an one Disquet me not, Shalum;
let me alone, that may enjoy those goody pos
sessions which are fallen to my lot. Win me not
by thy enticing words. May thy trees increase
and mutiply mayest thou add wood to wood, and
shade to shade but tempt not Hilpa to destroy
thy solitude. and make thy retirement popuous."
The Chinese say, that little time afterwards
she accepted of treat in one of the neighbors
ing hills to which Shalum had invited her. This
treat lasted for two years, and is said to have
cost Shaum five hundred antelopes, two thou-
sand ostriches, and thousand tuns of milk, but
what most of all recommended it, was that vari-
ety of delicious fruits and potherbs, in which no
person then living could any way equal ShaIum.
He treated her in the bower which he had
planted amidst the wood Of nightingales.. This
wood was made up Of such fruit trees and plants
| IL, m "a
singing birds so that he had drawn into it all the
music of the country, and was filled from one
end of the year to the other with the most agree
able concert in season.
| He Showed her every day some beautiful and
surprising scene in this new region Of woodlands;
and as by this means he had all the opPortuni-
ties he could wish for of opening his mind to her,
be succeeded so well, that upon her departure
she made him kind Of promise, and gave him
| her word to return him positive answer IN less
| than fifty years.
| She had not been long among her own people
| in the valies, when she received new overtures,
and at the same time most splendid visit from
Mishpach who was mighty man OF old, and mad
built great city, which he called after his own
name, Every house was made for at least
thousand years, nay, there were some that were
leased out for three lives that the quality OF
| the stone and timber consumed IN TINS puiidinS
is scarce to be imagined by those who 1--we IN tho
present age of the world. fhs Srea' man en-
tertained her with the voice OF musical 'nstru-
ments which had been lately invented, and dan.
ced before her to the sound of the timbrel. He
Also presented her With several domestic uten-
sils wrought in brass and iron, which had been
newly found out for the conveniency of life. In
the mean time shalum grew very uneasy with
HIMSELF and was sorely dispeased at Hilpa for the
reception which she had given to Mishpach, inso.
much tha, he never wrote to her or spoke of her
during whole revolution of Saturn; but finding
that this intercourse went further than visit,
he again renewed his addresses to her; who d.l-
ring his long silence, is said very often to nave
cast wishing eye upon Mount Tirzah.
Her mind continued waverng, ABOUT twenty
wears longer between Shalum and Mishpah; i; for
ihouph her inclinations favored the former, her
interest % pleaded very powerfully for the other.
vvh;e her heart was in this unsettled condition,
he fSllo wing accident happened, which de'er'